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A 
DIPLOMAT'S  HELPMATE 

HOW  ROSE  F.  FOOTE,  WIFE 
OF  THE  FIRST  U.  S.  MINISTER  AND 
ENVOY  EXTRAORDINARY  TO 
KOREA,  SERVED  HER  COUN- 
TRY IN  THE  FAR  EAST 


"By 
MARY  V.  TINGLEY  LAWRENCE 


SAN  FRANCISCO 

H.  S.  CROCKER  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT    1918 

MARY    V.   TINGLEY    LAWRENCE 

SAN    FRANCISCO 


•  •      '^  n  • 


TO 
MY   FRIEND    OF    LONG   YEARS 

Mrs.  Phoebe  A.  Hearst 

WHOSE    LIFE   IS   A    CONTINUOUS 
SERVICE   TO   HUMANITY 


417177 


BY    WAY    OF    INTRODUCTION 


T  N  this  world  war  for  right  no  woman  has  been  called  upon 
^  to  essay  a  more  valiant  part  than  Rose  F.  Foote  of  Cal- 
ifornia played  for  American  womanhood  in  the  dawn  of  our 
country^ s  life  in  Korea, 

As  the  wife  of  Lucius  Harwood  Foote,  the  first  United 
States  Minister  Plenipotentiary  and  Envoy  Extraordinary  to 
Korea,  she  was  the  first  occidental  woman  to  enter  the  ancient 
capital,  Seoul.  She  took  her  place  as  the  American  Minister's 
faithful  partner,  her  intellectual  and  spiritual  preparedness 
together  with  her  tact  and  beauty  enabling  her  fully  to  become 
his  loyal  ally  in  the  delicate  and  portentous  tasks  that  con- 
fronted this  diplomatic  pioneer  in  the  Land  of  the  Morning 
Calm. 

Mrs.  Footers  perfect  poise,  her  intuitive  diplomacy  and 
her  great  kindliness  daily  aided  her  husband  in  his  un- 
swervingly straightforward  course  through  the  sea  of  oriental 
intrigue. 

^he  response  to  the  test  of  service  to  her  fellowmen  won 
for  her  the  confident  regard  of  the  peculiar  people  of  Korea 
and  transmuted  the  bitter  antagonism  of  their  powerful  ^een 
into  a  sincere  trust  and  affection. 

A  harbinger  of  the  Red  Cross  when  it  was  scarce  known, 
her  noble  ministrations  would  inspire  a  worker  in  that  field 
of  merciful  endeavor.  Her  patriotism  as  expressed  in  heroic 
allegiance  to  ourfiag  and  all  that  it  stands  for,  and  her  high- 
hearted courage  and  selfiessness  in  the  midst  of  battle,  fore- 
shadowed the  brave  sacrifice  of  women  in  today  s  struggle  for 
freedom. 

[VII] 


BY     WAY    OF    INTRODUCTION 

She  rarely  spoke  of  her  part  in  the  rich  experiences  in  the 
Orient y  but  General  Foot e  felt  that^  although  he  alone  held  his 
Government's  portfolio^  his  wife  had  been  of  almost  equal 
service  to  the  Nation  they  so  devoutly  loved. 

Rose  Foote  went  with  her  husband  to  Korea  to  be  in  the 
fullest  sense  his  helpmate,  and  she  has  left  to  her  country- 
women as  a  lasting  inspiration  the  heritage  of  a  lofty  mission 
devotedly  fulfilled. 


[viii] 


THE    CHAPTERS 

CHAPTER       I Page    / 

CHAPTER     II Page    8 

CHAPTER  III Page  i6 

CHAPTER    IV Page  22 

CHAPTER     V Page  26 

CHAPTER    VI Page  36 

CHAPTER  VII Page  43 


THE    ILLUSTRATIONS 

MRS.  FOOTE  STARTING  FOR  THE  PALACE  IN  THE 
QUEEN'S  PALANQUIN  CARRIED  BY  THE  ROYAL 
CHAIR-BEARERS  AND  WITH  THE  KING'S  GUARD 

AS  ESCORT Frontispiece 

MRS.  ROSE  F.  FOOTE Facing  Page    6 

GENERAL  LUCIUS  HARWOOD  FOOTE Facing  Page  26 

THE  AMERICAN  EMBASSY  HOUSEHOLD Facing  Page 36 

TEA-SET  OF  PORCELAIN  AND  SILVER  PRESENTED  TO 
MRS.  FOOTE  BY  THE  EMPRESS  OF  JAPAN  AT  THE 
PALACE  IN  TOKYO Facing  Page  44 


[IX] 


A    DIPLOMAT'S    HELPMATE 


A     DIPLOMAT'S   /HE  L  P  M  A  T  f. 


Chapter  I 

GENERAL  LUCIUS  HARWOOD  FOOTE  IS  APPOINTED  FIRST  UNITED 
STATES  MINISTER  AND  ENVOY  EXTRAORDINARY  TO  KOREA. 
DESPITE  GOVERNMENT  WARNINGS  HIS  WIFE  DECIDES  TO  AC- 
COMPANY HIM.  GREAT  INTERNATIONAL  INTEREST  IN  THEIR 
DEPARTURE.  GUESTS  OF  EMPEROR  AND  EMPRESS  OF  JAPAN  AT 
TOKYO.  MRS.  FOOTE  THE  FIRST  OCCIDENTAL  WOMAN  TO  ENTER 
THE  ANCIENT  CAPITAL,  SEOUL. 

MRS.  FooTE  was  to  go  with  her  husband  on  his  mission 
as  first  accredited  United  States  Minister  Pleni- 
potentiary, and  Envoy  Extraordinary  to  Korea.  Vainly 
Washington  officialdom  had  sought  to  dissuade  her.  The 
State  Department  gravely  warned  her,  that  the  errand  on 
which  General  Foote  was  embarking  might  be  fraught  with 
unknown  perils.  She  but  steadfastly  maintained  her  right 
to  share  these  dangers,  as  she  always  had  shared  his  good 
fortune  or  hardship.  She  was  told  that  the  powerful,  con- 
servative queen  would  use  her  utmost  diplomatic  skill  to 
halt  this  invasion  of  the  Land  of  the  Morning  Calm,  where 
never  an  occidental  woman  had  trod.  The  wife  of  the 
United  States  Embassador  gently  persisted  that  it  was  time 
for  such  prejudice  to  be  demolished — that  some  woman 
would  have  to  pave  the  way  for  an  understanding  between 
the  daughters  of  the  East  and  their  sisters  of  the  West,  and 
so  she  calmly  pursued  her  intention  while  the  outraged  au- 
tocratic potentate  watched  her  from  across  the  seas  with 
bitter  resentment.  It  was  Her  Majesty's  first  encounter 
with  a  woman  of  the  Occident,  and  the  sweet  but  strong- 
purposed  American  had  won  the  opening  long-distance 
skirmish,  and  unconscious  of  the  disturbance  she  was 
creating  in  the  Queen's  circle,  was  serenely  advancing  to 
a  closer  meeting. 


diplomat's    helpmate 


With  deep  concern  our  Government  had  looked  about 
for  the  statesman  to  whom  it  could  entrust  the  critical 
conditions  that  might  arise,  and  after  careful  inspection  of 
available  material,  decided  upon  General  Lucius  Har- 
wood  Foote  of  California.  General  Foote  was  a  lawyer 
and  an  author  of  wide  reputation,  with  military  training 
and  diplomatic  experience,  and  to  his  handsome  and  dig- 
nified appearance,  was  added  the  delightful  personality 
and  charm  of  manner  sure  to  impress  the  Orientals.  The 
Hermit  Kingdom  had  lately  surprised  the  world  by  emerg- 
ing from  its  shell  and  entering  into  the  family  of  Nations, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  United  States,  through  which  it 
first  established  intercourse  with  the  Western  World.  Ko- 
rea that  had  never  maintained  a  strict  independence  had 
long  been  ostensibly  under  the  suzerainty  of  China,  much 
to  the  chagrin  of  her  other  neighbors.  The  breaking  up  of 
old  conditions  which  would  offer  greater  commercial  and 
civil  opportunities,  could  well  provoke  covetous  adjacent 
countries  to  a  dangerous  attitude,  the  results  of  which 
might  reach  beyond  the  East.  As  the  State  Department 
seriously  doubted  that  its  representative  would  be  allowed 
to  reside  within  the  walls  of  Seoul,  no  provision  was  made 
for  a  legation.  The  pitching  of  the  Government's  tent 
was  to  be  left  to  his  diplomatic  skill.  A  matter  that  very 
directly  concerned  the  Minister's  happiness,  was  the  con- 
clusion of  the  President  and  the  Secretary  of  State,  that 
Mrs.  Foote's  going  would  be  fraught  with  danger.  The 
Exclusionists  were  belligerent  and  as  antagonistic  to 
foreigners  as  in  the  days  when  they  massacred  such 
oflFenders.  The  official  admonition  was  further  empha- 
sized by  the  assertion  that  the  powerful  and  attractive 
Korean  Queen,  who  had  strongly  opposed  the  admission 
of  the  occidental  man  to  the  realm,  would  even  more 
vindictively  resent  the  coming  of  an  Occidental  of  her  own 
sex.     Clever,  and  with  unquestionable  dominion  at  the 


A      DIPLOMAT     S      HELPMATE 

Court,  she  could  make  it  at  least  very  uncomfortable  for 
the  fair  trespasser.  Far  from  being  intimidated  by  the 
threatening  portraiture,  and  beyond  any  romantic  fasci- 
nation, the  American  woman  felt  for  this  determined 
character  a  strong  personal  concern. 

There  was  an  unusual  bond  of  inter-dependence  and 
delightful  comradeship  between  the  American  man  and 
wife,  and  despite  some  misgivings  they  preferred  the 
danger  risk  to  the  test  of  separation. 

The  important  fact  that  General  Foote  was  going  to 
the  enigmatical  kingdom,  to  straighten  out  any  intricasies 
by  personally  guarding  his  nation's  interests,  attracted  the 
attention  of  all  international  officials,  with  the  result  that 
other  Western  countries  soon  set  about  to  follow  the 
diplomatic  action  of  the  United  States.  The  American 
Minister  and  his  comrade  would  break  the  trail  into  the 
land  just  awakening  from  its  sluggish  condition  of  cen- 
turies and  watch  with  immense  interest  at  close  range, 
this  unique  people  in  the  recasting  of  its  future.  The  for- 
mation period  would  doubtless  be  invested  with  the  sauce 
of  intrigue  and  the  spice  of  danger. 

There  was  promise  for  an  Oriental  drama  full  of  action. 
But,  as  by  her  husband's  side  our  California  lady  sailed 
away,  she  did  not  know  of  the  part  she  would  come  to 
play  under  her  flag  in  tragic  scenes  that  would  be  enacted 
in  the  old  walled  capital.  Nor  did  she  dream  that  the 
queen,  who  at  first  had  repudiated  her,  would  confidently 
come  to  ask  her  saving  help  in  a  time  of  grave  anxiety,  and 
to  trust  her  for  solace  after  dear  ones  of  her  people  had 
been  beheaded. 

The  newly-appointed  Minister's  wife  was  accomplished 
and  beautiful  with  a  majestic  bearing.  Aside  from  her 
home  instincts  and  social  gifts  she  possessed  a  knowledge 
of  the  requirements  of  a  diplomat's  wife,  so  that  she  was 
in  the  highest  sense,  her  husband's  helpmeet.     The  Hermit 

[j] 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

Kingdom,  a  land  of  wonder  and  mystery,  had  for  this 
heroic  woman  a  compelling  enticement.  It  was  as  though 
she  heard  an  impersonal  call.  Her  best  equipment  as  a 
preparedness  for  the  advfenture  was  a  rich  life  which  was 
the  result  of  years  of  fruitful  inner  development,  and  such 
a  life  as  would  be  ready  to  give  itself  to  the  highest  duty 
that  might  be  disclosed  to  her. 

En  route  to  their  objective  field,  the  distinguished 
Americans  received  much  attention.  At  Tokyo,  Japan, 
they  dined  with  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  and  fetes  were 
given  in  their  honor  by  their  Majesties  in  the  Palace 
domain. 

General  Foote  soon  engaged  a  Japanese  gentleman  as 
Korean  interpreter,  and  a  boy  to  serve  him,  and  Mrs. 
Foote  secured  a  competent  Japanese  maid. 

At  Yokohama,  the  U.  S.  ship,"Monocacy,"  was  placed 
at  the  disposal  of  the  U.  S.  Minister  and  on  it,  he  and  his 
wife  concluded  their  journey. 

At  Chemulpo  General  Foote  was  met  by  a  delegation 
of  high  dignitaries  from  the  capital,  stately  men  in  elegant 
dress  of  the  nobility.  These  polite  representatives  re- 
pressed their  curiosity  and  with  a  surprising  warmth  of 
welcome  and  a  frank  spirit  of  kindliness  not  only  for  him- 
self, but  for  his  wife,  mitigated  the  anxiety  he  was  feeling 
about  the  adjustment  of  perplexing  questions  bound  to 
confront  him  in  his  conferences  with  the  government  at 
the  capital.  No  doubt  his  tact  would  be  tested  in  the 
effort  to  secure  the  concession  of  maintaining  the  United 
States  legation  at  Seoul,  instead  of  its  being  delegated  to 
Chemulpo.  At  the  same  time,  the  disposition  of  his  wife 
would  be  considered — whether  she  would  be  permitted  to 
take  up  residence  directly  with  him,  or  even  be  allowed 
to  dwell  within  easy  communication.  In  the  decision 
affecting  Mrs.  Foote,  the  Queen  would  doubtless  hold 
the  balance  of  power. 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

Meanwhile,  the  American  lady  was  to  remain  on  the 
"Monocacy." 

The  United  States  Minister  bade  his  wife  au  revoir, 
then  placed  the  American  flag  on  his  awaiting  chair,  and 
accompanied  by  the  emissaries  and  some  of  the  "Monoc- 
acy's"  officers,  set  off  for  the  capital.  Under  the  gaze  of 
thousands  of  natives,  he  made  a  memorable  journey, 
where  he  was  the  first  Western  man  to  enter  the  Palace 
domain  by  the  King's  Gate. 

The  lady  who  had  saluted  the  peculiar  land  with  a 
characteristic  enthusiasm,  was  glad  to  accompany  some 
of  the  ship's  officers  in  a  stroll  about  Chemulpo.  As  soon 
as  she  put  foot  on  the  new  soil,  crowds  of  natives  sur- 
rounded her,  touched  her,  and  stared  into  her  eyes. 
Several  dropped  down,  with  faces  upon  the  ground  and 
curiously  regarded  her  high-heeled  shoes.  So  alarming 
became  the  demonstrations,  that  it  was  deemed  advisable 
for  the  trespasser  to  return  to  the  vessel.  To  Mrs.  Foote 
it  seemed  as  though  through  those  inquiring  souls  the 
spirit  of  the  entire  land  was  but  making  its  initial  attempt 
to  solve  her  and  the  meaning  of  her  intrepidly  coming 
through  Korea's  newly-opened  gates. 

At  Seoul,  the  American  Embassador  negotiated  some 
advantageous  changes  in  the  treaty,  after  which  the  rati- 
fication of  the  exchange  of  treaties  took  place. 

And  now,  in  addition  to  General  Foote's  state-craft, 
his  fine  courtesy  and  pleasing  personality  were  potent 
factors  in  making  it  possible  for  him  to  take  up  official 
residence  at  the  capital,  nor  were  they  less  potent  in  con- 
vincing the  protesting  Korean  Government  that  the 
United  States  Minister's  wife's  place  was  by  her  husband's 
side,  and  that  she  was  not  to  be  relegated  even  to  the 
treaty  port  of  Chemulpo,  much  less  to  Shanghai,  China, 
as  had  been  intimated.  So  wisely  and  tactfully  had  he 
gained  his  points,  that  before  he  left  the  city  the  leading 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

nobles  vied  with  each  other  to  do  him  honor,  handsomely- 
entertaining  him  at  Korean  and  Chinese  palaces,  and 
further  surprising  and  gratifying  him  with  assurances  of 
hospitable  welcome  for  the  lady  of  the  United  States 
Legation. 

When  the  Minister  returned  for  Mrs.  Foote,  the  excit- 
ing news  spread  far  and  wide,  and  great  was  the  curiosity 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  stranger  woman  who  had  au- 
daciously come,  shattering  the  prejudices  of  ages. 

The  natives  hastened  from  rice-fields  and  homes  a 
hundred  miles  away  and  thousands  lined  the  road  as  by 
her  husband's  side  she  rode  forth  in  her  chair,  under  the 
Stars  and  Stripes.  The  two,  who  with  retinue  were  carried 
along  over  this  pleasantly  rolling  flower-covered  country, 
with  its  neighboring  little  farms  and  thatched  huts,  en- 
joyed every  foot  of  the  pictorial  journey,  now  enlivened 
by  surging  masses  of  quaintly  dressed  natives.  It  roused 
the  lady's  imagination  to  the  promise  of  rare  scenes  and 
adventures  in  the  mysterious  new  world  which  they  were 
entering. 

The  unique  procession  reached  the  high  crenellated 
ivy-clad  walls  of  the  metropolis  and  passed  within  as  the 
setting  sun  lit  it  up  into  a  golden  splendor,  and  the  ancient 
bell  rang  sonorously  announcing  the  closing  of  the  sixteen 
gates.  All  about  the  newcomers  the  network  of  traffic 
surged  and  intermingled.  Back  and  forth  eddied  torrents 
of  jostling  humanity — the  oriental  scenes  of  the  pictur- 
esque multitude  filling  the  strangers  with  amazement. 
Confused  by  the  many  tangled  cries  and  noises,  and  the 
terrific  rush  of  men  and  beasts,  Mrs.  Foote  vividly  felt 
that  she  was  being  engulfed  in  this  weave  and  throb  of  the 
bewildering  Far  East  life. 

As  they  passed  by  the  open  shops  and  rows  of  low, 
thatched  houses  and  zigzagged  through  the  pushing 
throng,  a  train  of  patient  bullocks  burdened  by  loads  of 


Mrs.  Rose  F.  Foote 


diplomat's    helpmate 


brush  piled  high  against  the  sky  line — a  veritable  moving 
forest — parted  to  let  them  continue  their  way  with  the 
United  States  banner  asserting  its  notes  of  red,  white  and 
blue.  The  wonder  and  inquisitiveness  of  the  near  populace 
manifested  itself  in  persistent  efforts  to  gaze  upon  the 
foreign  man  and  woman.  The  agitation  of  the  two  hun- 
dred thousand  inhabitants  intensified  the  deep  thrill  of  ex- 
citement experienced  by  the  Minister's  wife  and  added  a 
distinctive  keenness  to  the  close  of  her  wonderful 
pilgrimage. 

When  the  party  reached  the  objective  point,  a  breeze 
stirred,  and  something  humanly  caressing  brushed  across 
the  lady's  cheek.  It  was  the  dear  flag.  She  caught  the 
end  of  it,  and  put  it  to  her  lips  where  it  seemed  to  pulse 
softly  as  if  to  remind  her  of  its  faithful  presence  and  pur- 
pose. The  General  was  touched  by  the  incident  and 
tenderly  lifted  her  from  her  chair. 

News  of  the  marvelous  happenings  of  this  day,  was 
quickly  carried  to  the  Palace.  The  baffled  Queen  in  a 
fury  of  rage  beat  upon  her  imprisoning  walls,  as  she 
smarted  under  the  taunting  realization  that  the  uncrowned 
occidental  woman  commanded  a  limitless  freedom  in  her 
interference  with  the  traditions  that  had  been  dearest  to 
the  Korean  heart.  The  indignity  had  been  insupportable 
when  the  intruder  had  entered  the  treaty  port,  but  now 
that  the  very  gates  of  the  protecting  walls  of  the  sacred 
capital  had  opened  for  her,  this  near  approach  to  the  royal 
domain  was  resented  with  increased  anger. 

Mrs.  Foote  had  achieved  distinction  as  a  pathfinder. 
Being  the  first  occidental  woman  to  enter  ancient  Seoul 
she  had  paved  the  way  for  others  of  her  sex  to  follow. 


[7] 


Chapter  II 

LOOKING  FOR  LEGATION  AND  HOME  QUARTERS.  "CHUNG-DONG," 
AN  OLD  MIN  PALACE,  CHOSEN.  MRS.  FOOTE  UNFURLS  THE 
AMERICAN  FLAG  OVER  THE  LEGATION.  PROPHETIC  TEARS. 

AMONG  the  properties  inspected  for  a  United  States 
legation  purpose  was  an  ancient  Min  palace.  It 
asserted  a  claim  of  distinct  associations,  having  been  the 
abode  of  one  of  the  Queen's  powerful  family.  It  recorded 
a  most  fascinating  history  and  was  invested  with  the  flavor 
of  romance.  There  was  a  proud,  surviving  interest  in  the 
gruesome  tales  of  its  valiant  decapitated  Mins,  who  even 
now  in  unquestionable  shape,  periodically  stalked  about 
the  premises.  These  stories,  orally  transmitted,  had  the 
seal  of  actuality  put  upon  them  by  the  ineffaceable  attest- 
ing blood-stains  on  the  walls,  and  were  further  corrobo- 
rated by  gloomy  recitals  that  skulls  and  headless  skeletons 
which  had  missed  honorable  burial,  had  been  turned  up 
in  the  gardens.  The  Minister  found  that  it  could  be  made 
to  suit  his  official  requirements  while  with  his  wife  he  was 
not  unmindful  of  the  romantic  enchantment  it  offered  as 
a  home.  He  hastened  to  buy  it  with  his  personal  funds. 
His  government  readily  approved  his  action,  with  the 
intent  of  re-imbursing  him  and  taking  the  property  over. 

"Chung-Dong,"  the  name  of  this  estate,  signified 
"Beautiful  Mount,''  and  was  on  a  rise  that  later  became 
known  as  "Legation  Hill."  Its  acres  of  grounds  were  well 
wooded  with  stretches  of  neglected  greenswards,  and 
offered  opportunity  for  floral  culture.  There  were  seven 
principal  houses,  besides  servants'  quarters  and  outhouses. 

Japanese  artists  selected  and  brought  over  appropriate 

in 


A      DIPLOMAT     S      HELPMATE 

furniture,  and  after  many  alterations  "Chung-Dong"  was 
converted  into  a  beautiful  governmental  home,  offering 
an  unusual  attraction.  With  artistic  appreciation  of  its 
ancient  beauties,  Mrs.  Foote  had  stayed  the  hand  of  the 
iconoclast  and  insisted  upon  retaining  all  of  the  rich 
oriental  architectural  details  within  and  without,  especially 
treasuring  the  massive  dark  beams  and  rafters  of  the  Le- 
gation offices  and  drawing-rooms.  Richly  embroidered 
screens  and  hangings,  costly  vases,  lion,  tiger  and  leopard 
skins,  potted  plants  and  brilliant  growing  flowers  were 
graciously  sent  from  palaces,  to  contribute  bright  color 
and  impart  cheer.  This  delightful  amenity  reminded  the 
stranger  lady  to  bring  out  a  bag  containing  home  flower 
seeds  which  she  duly  planted  with  her  own  hands.  In 
time  they  joyfully  justified  her  care,  and  often  became  her 
distinctive  messengers  to  royal  friends. 

Infatuated  with  oriental  art,  Mrs.  Foote  began  to 
secure  a  collection  of  rare  and  beautiful  treasures,  among 
them  pieces  of  precious  Satsuma  ware,  old  lanterns.  Man- 
darin coats,  ancient  embroideries  and  many  quaint  speci- 
mens of  long-forgotten  crafts. 

This  welcome  hospitable  refuge  with  its  distinct  East- 
ern bewitchment,  would  not  have  been  complete  without 
the  dependable  Chinese  steward  who  had  a  Chesterfield 
manner  and  a  valuable  administrative  ability  in  the  orderly 
management  of  the  large  corps  of  native  servants.  Tall 
and  handsomely  dressed  in  a  blue  brocaded  silk  gown 
reaching  to  his  ankles,  his  carefully  kept  queue  hanging 
down  his  straight  back,  he  was  an  adornment  whenever 
he  moved  or  wherever  he  posed.  There  was  always  a  big 
company  of  sparrows  on  the  premises,  and  they  and  the 
colonies  of  chattering  magpies  scared  the  venturesome  but 
harmless  fat  snakes  back  into  the  seclusion  of  comfortable 
quarters  up  among  the  tiles  in  the  roofs.    No  native  would 


diplomat's    helpmate 


harm  or  hinder  any  of  these  "humble,  crawling  brothers/* 
in  their  patient  evolution. 

A  tall  flagpole  was  secured  from  a  far-off  forest  and 
floated  down  the  river.  When  it  reached  the  city  and  was 
borne  through  the  twists  and  bends  of  the  narrow  streets, 
as  if  demanding  an  unobstructed  right  of  way,  it  knocked 
down  several  little  houses,  for  which  damage  generous 
remuneration  was  promptly  made.  The  staff  was  placed 
in  the  principal  courtyard  of  the  Legation,  and  in  the 
presence  of  many  dignitaries,  Mrs.  Foote,  at  the  bidding 
of  her  husband,  unfurled  the  American  flag,  tears,  perhaps 
prophetic,  filling  her  eyes  as  she  realized  as  never  before, 
what  this  precious  symbol  meant  for  their  protection.  It 
waved  majestically  in  the  breeze,  then  dipped  down  as  if 
it  would  gather  its  folds  about  her. 

The  American  lady  at  once  commanded  a  prominent 
place  in  oriental  diplomatic  life.  Her  exceptional  beauty 
and  queenly  bearing  aroused  admiration  wherever  she  was 
seen.  And  this  physical  charm  was  but  an  outward  ex- 
pression of  a  universality  of  spirit  and  a  warm  sympathy 
that  soon  won  the  hearts  of  the  gentle  Koreans. 

Later  on,  other  legations  with  delightful  inmates  were 
instituted. 

Soon  after  General  Foote's  settlement  at  Seoul,  and 
largely  through  his  suggestion,  the  King  dispatched  to  the 
United  States  a  special  embassy  consisting  of  two  Koreans 
of  high  rank  and  a  suitable  suite.  The  party  journeyed 
on  the  United  States  ship  "Trenton."  They  were  received 
at  the  United  State  capital  and  by  the  American  people  in 
general  with  great  courtesy.  These  eager  men  were 
quickened  to  seize  every  opportunity  for  the  study  of 
progressive  methods. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  Hermit  Kingdom,  a  number 
of  ambitious  young  Korean  nobles  had  gone  over  to  Japan 
with  the  earnest  purpose  of  studying  and  broadening  their 

[/o] 


A    diplomat's    helpmate 

civic  and  military  education.  They,  too,  had  returned  with 
an  increased  thirst  for  freedom.  Such  aspiring,  daring 
characters,  polite  and  refined,  and  of  a  pleasing  personality, 
became  accustomed  to  gather  at  the  American  home, 
where  they  profited  by  Western  inspiration.  The  hostess 
radiated  a  quality  which  ripened  and  enriched  those  hun- 
gry minds  as  they  eagerly  plied  her  with  questions  and 
listened  to  her  graphic  responses  concerning  her  country, 
its  admirable  institutions  and  its  noble  men  and  women. 
Those  ardent  students  who  had  awakened  to  a  national 
self-consciousness  readily  responded  to  the  stimulus  of 
occidental  ideas  that  gave  them  increased  courage  to 
pursue  their  ideals.  But  representatives  of  all  parties  were 
impartially,  cordially  welcomed  at  the  Legation  and  a 
sympathy  was  felt  with  those  who  could  not  see  beyond 
the  race-habit  of  self-interest  and  satisfaction  by  the 
employment  of  old  methods. 

While  fully  enjoying  their  Korean  life.  General  and 
Mrs.  Foote  realized  that  they  were  in  an  atmosphere  of 
danger,  that  might  come  to  be  expressed  in  a  coup  d'etat. 
The  three  parties,  the  Exclusionists,  the  Conservatives 
and  the  Liberals  were  constantly  clashing,  and  their 
menacing  domestic  broils  were  sources  of  anxious  con- 
jecture. With  any  serious  outbreak  was  the  possibility 
of  some  other  country's  interfering.  Korea  had  been  the 
Naboth's  Vineyard  of  the  Far  East  and  Japan  and  Russia 
continued  to  nurse  their  resentment  of  China's  imperious 
presumption  to  which  claim  the  dominating  Queen  had 
always  subscribed.  With  the  Court,  foreign  affairs  ever 
had  been  a  particularly  favorable  sphere  for  intrigue, 
sometimes  resulting  in  the  violent  and  even  barbarously 
achieved  overthrow  of  ministries.  And  such  wild  conflicts 
could  occur  again. 

Of  all  the  attractions  of  that  land  none  so  strongly 
stirred  Mrs.  Foote  as  that  of  the  conservative  Queen  who 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

had  been  doubly  aggravated  by  the  United  States  Minis- 
ter's planting  his  flag  and  taking  up  family  residence 
within  the  long-prohibited  capital  walls  far  across  the 
city,  yet  too  insolently  near  her  palace  gates.  The  Queen, 
known  as  Queen  Min,  was  the  highest  representative  of 
the  ancient  powerful  Min  family,  whose  blood  was  said  to 
be  in  great  part  Chinese.  This  family  had  the  largest 
number  of  nobles,  with  the  greatest  landed  estates  of  all 
the  families  of  nobility  in  Korea.  Her  Majesty  was  a 
strong  and  formidable  character,  brilliant  and  magnetic, 
and  was  regarded  as  the  brainiest  woman  of  the  entire 
Orient.  She  was  an  uncompromising  Conservative,  a 
fearless  leader,  and  was  the  power  behind  the  throne 
although  it  was  believed  that  the  King,  who  deeply  loved 
her,  secretly  favored  the  Liberal  Party.  Besides  being  a 
profound  Confucian  student,  she  was  versed  in  govern- 
ment affairs  and  was  a  prominent  factor  in  every  Korean 
political  crisis.  The  Min  clan  lived  on  social  terms  with 
the  Court  of  China,  and  the  Queen,  who  shared  with  the 
ladies  of  the  royal  Chinese  household  the  love  of  beautiful 
clothes,  secured  selections  of  the  most  richly  gorgeous  gar- 
ments procurable  from  the  looms  and  the  embroidery 
experts  of  Peking — that  Paris  of  far  Cathay. 

To  the  United  States  Minister  it  looked  as  if  his  wife 
were  barred  from  meeting  this  marvelous  creature  who 
seemed  to  have  immutable  laws  of  her  own,  which  she  now 
exercised  in  undauntedly  defying  the  accepted  ethics  of 
diplomacy  by  determinedly  ignoring  the  claim  of  courtesy 
due  the  wife  of  the  first  accredited  western  Embassador 
at  the  Korean  Court. 

The  American  woman  felt  urgently  drawn  to  this  fear- 
less, defiant  power  and  never  abandoned  the  hope  of  meet- 
ing her.  In  considering  the  potent  influences  that  had 
shaped  such  a  character  and  determined  the  direction 
of   its  activities,  one   could   not  wonder    at    the   loyal 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

Conservative's  bitter  distrust  of  the  Westerner.  Of  the 
remembrance  of  unforgivable  insults  offered  Korea  by 
foreign  trespassers,  among  whom  it  was  asserted  were 
Americans,  was  the  ruthless  desecrations  of  the  sacred 
tombs  of  the  ancient  kings  in  a  mad  search  for  gold,  price- 
less vases  and  other  invaluable  treasures.  Mrs.  Foote 
could  not  withhold  a  sympathetic  appreciation  of  the 
Queen's  attitude  in  her  fierce  resentment  of  such  a  sacri- 
lege where  ancestral  worship  was  a  revered,  sacred  rite. 

The  desire  to  know  this  determined  figure  had  a  pur- 
pose beyond  curiosity  or  any  personal  aim.  She  believed 
the  dynamic  power  of  an  intellect  so  loyal  to  its  convic- 
tions, with  such  an  enormous  capacity  for  evil  accredited 
to  it,  might  be  diverted  from  its  devotion  to  the  justifica- 
tion of  intrigue  and  cruelty  by  transmission  into  a  corre- 
sponding force  for  the  good  of  her  race.  But  she  could 
wait.  Meanwhile  this  unique  people  so  appealed  to  her 
enthusiastic  interest  that  Mrs.  Foote  often  climbed  a 
ladder  and  looked  down  over  the  outer  wall  to  study  the 
spirit  and  the  local  color  of  the  busy  panorama  in  the 
crowded  streets.  The  hard,  primitive  methods  of  the  men 
and  women  at  work,  the  hungry  children,  the  squalid 
poverty  and  misery  enlisted  her  serious  attention. 

Thus  at  her  very  door  she  discovered  a  field  for  the 
exercise  of  a  tender  and  purposeful  philanthropy.  Taking 
her  thirty  servants  and  a  number  of  other  receptive 
natives  she  experienced  a  great  joy  in  giving  a  portion  of 
her  time  to  teaching  them  practical  lessons  while  elevating 
them  spiritually.  Nor  did  she  fail  to  generously  and  con- 
tinuously provide  money,  fuel,  food  and  various  comforts 
for  the  wretchedly  poor  all  about  Legation  Hill,  while  she 
ministered  to  the  sick  and  was  known  even  to  dress  their 
wounds.  In  her  interest  the  lady  found  that ^sop's  Fables 
appealed  to  the  oriental  mind  and  she  was  glad  of  her 
knowledge  of  them.    Among  the  acts  never  forgotten  by 

[  /J  ] 


diplomat's    helpmate 


the  humble  people,  was  that  in  the  case  of  a  youth  of  the 
American  home  who  was  asphyxiated  in  the  heating  quar- 
ters. He  was  discovered  by  fellow-servants  who  confidently 
ran  for  their  good  friend.  She  came  quickly  and,  with 
ready  wit,  inserted  a  tube  in  the  boy's  mouth,  then  per- 
serveringly  blew  her  own  breath  into  his  lungs  till  life  was 
restored.  This  story,  and  many  others  that  showed  the 
large-heartedness  of  the  stranger,  was  widely  circulated, 
and  did  not  fail  to  reach  the  royal  realm  where  the  agitat- 
ing gossip  particularly  fascinated  the  women  directly 
serving  Her  Majesty.  Their  quarters  reverberated  with 
an  excitement  that  invested  those  monotonous,  colorless 
lives  with  a  new  vitality.  Even  more  arousing  and  mys- 
terious were  the  tales  of  the  foreign  woman's  influence  on 
the  young  Korean  nobles  who  gathered  about  her  in  the 
drawing-room  of  the  United  States  Legation,  and  who 
always  came  away  with  clarified  visions,  and  their  ideals 
freshly  aglow.  But  the  self-sufficient  Queen,  who,  if  the 
necessity  arose,  might  inspire  fear  and  inaugurate  revolu- 
tion, direct  beheadings  and  sway  destinies,  would  not 
appear  to  compromise  her  dignity  by  listening  to  the 
enthusiastic  chatter.  However,  she  really  had  heard  every 
word  of  the  enticing  gossip  with  grave  concern  and  had 
pondered  the  disturbing  innovation  till  curiosity  and 
jealousy  inflamed  to  such  a  point  that  a  deep  desire  surged 
in  her  to  probe  the  secret  of  the  interloper's  magic  sway. 
The  disturbing  news  had  all  been  brought  to  the  palace 
by  men,  and  the  astute  Sovereign  misdoubted  masculine 
ability  to  gauge  the  eternal  feminine  whether  of  native  or 
foreign  extraction.  She  herself  would  never  deign  to  look 
upon  the  objectionable  woman,  not  even  by  cautiously 
peeping  through  a  screen  hole,  but  by  some  resourceful 
method  she  would  learn  of  her  through  the  discriminating 
eyes  and  the  analytical  brains  of  trustworthy  members  of 
her  own  sex.    This  change  of  front  was  followed  by  a 


A      DIPLOMAT     S      HELPMATE 

careful  reconnaissance  of  the  situation  with  the  result 
that  she  set  about  and  devised  an  arrangement  whereby 
a  number  of  her  Ladies  in  Waiting  were  to  call  upon 
the  United  States  Minister's  lady  and  convey  to  her 
greetings  from  the  Queen  of  Korea. 

The  King  could  not  disguise  his  evident  delight  in  see- 
ing Her  Majesty  make  this  change  of  attitude  toward  the 
American  lady,  and  the  United  States  Minister  and  his 
wife  were  deeply  impressed.  The  stir  of  preparation  for 
the  important  errand  and  the  consequent  whir  of  excite- 
ment was  felt  by  every  denizen  of  the  royal  estate.  Indeed, 
the  first  news  of  the  astounding  decision  of  their  domain's 
autocrat  almost  paralyzed  the  palace's  human  mechanism. 
But  when  the  amazing  fact  was  comprehended,  the  wheels 
went  spinning  again  as  if  every  creature  in  the  grounds 
were  a  factor  to  the  visit's  success. 


[/5] 


Chapter  III 

THE  CONSERVATIVE  QUEEN  SENDS  HER  LADIES  IN  WAITING  TO  CALL 
UPON  THE  LADY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  LEGATION.  SHE  DECIDES 
TO  SEE  THE  OCCIDENTAL  WOMAN.  MRS.  FOOTE  PRESENTED 
AT  THE  KOREAN  COURT.  THE  QUEEN'S  ATTITUDE  SOFTENS 
TOWARD  HER  GUEST. 

AT  THE  appointed  hour  for  the  deputation  to  set  out 
each  of  the  favored  court  ladies  in  resplendent  attire 
entered  her  individual  conveyance.  With  a  series  of  guards 
on  either  side  of  them,  the  noble  women  ventured  into  the 
wider  country  giving  touches  of  bright  color  and  an  air  of 
festivity  to  the  drab  streets  as  they  proceeded  on  their 
romantic  errand  of  exploration,  while  throngs  of  men, 
women  and  children  bordered  their  way  and  reveled  in  the 
joy  of  such  near  approach  to  dwellers  of  the  Palace. 

When  the  United  States  Legation  was  reached,  these 
gay  butterflies  emerged  from  their  little  coaches,  and  lit 
upon  the  greensward.  It  was  a  transition  to  a  new  world. 
High  above  them  floated  the  beautiful  red,  white  and  blue 
banner  of  which  they  had  heard.  Awesomely  looking  up, 
they  wondered  at  the  mystery  of  the  American  woman's 
interest  in  the  sacred  ceremony  of  its  unfolding,  and  were 
at  a  loss  to  comprehend  how  a  mere  perishable  bit  of  gay 
bunting  could  exercise  such  a  far-reaching,  compelling 
power. 

It  was  with  anxiety  and  trembling  that  the  dainty 
creatures  met  the  United  States  Minister's  lady.  Although 
awed  by  her  stately  presence,  through  the  intrepreter,  their 
important  message  of  welcome  was  timidly  delivered. 
The  sweet  graciousness  of  Mrs.  Footers  reply  at  once 

[7(5] 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

relieved  the  strain  and  gave  them  courage  to  talk  more 
freely. 

The  hostess  pleased  them  by  warm  expressions  of  high 
regard  for  their  Queen,  in  which  they  were  assured  that 
all  her  country  women  cordially  joined.  To  this  were 
added  words  of  appreciation  of  Her  Majesty's  thought  for 
her,  a  lone  woman  far  from  home  and  kindred,  and  per- 
sonal thanks  to  her  guests,  the  bearers  of  the  courtesy. 
Then  with  the  engaging  simplicity  of  the  normal  American, 
she  showed  them  about  the  drawing-rooms  eliciting  great 
interest  and  enjoyment. 

Under  the  ^ell  of  her  conquering  goodness,  the  visitors 
made  their  adieux  and  returned  to  their  august  mistress 
who  had  been  pacing  her  private  halls  in  feverish  antici- 
pation. Although  fearful  of  the  royal  wrath,  the  envoys 
could  not  restrain  exuberant  expressions  over  the  adven- 
ture. By  their  uncontrolled  gaiety  and  daring,  the  exalted 
listener  felt  that  these  subjugated  creatures  of  her  will  had 
profited  by  contact  with  the  strength  of  a  great  character, 
and,  by  an  infection  of  freedom  were  exultantly  drinking 
at  a  new  fountain  of  life.  It  sounded  an  alarm.  She 
pondered  with  chagrin  the  alluring  problem.  Then  afttet- 
considering  it  for  days,  to  her  amazement,  in  some 
shadowy  corner  of  her  woman's  consciousness,  resentment 
slowly  gave  way  to  a  more  generous  prompting.  Despite 
her  inborn  prejudices  and  conservatism,  the  great  Korean's 
powerful  intellect  began  to  perceive  the  possibility  that  the 
interesting  intruder  with  her  deep  insight  and  far-reaching 
influence,  instead  of  being  a  menace  might  indeed  be  of 
service  to  her  in  her  isolated  perilous  life  as  a  queen. 
Spurred  by  this  subtle,  disquieting  suggestion,  she  with  the 
executive  force  that  made  her  an  oriental  power,  deter- 
mined to  sweep  aside  the  barriers  which  she  had  cherished, 
as    ruthlessly   as   she   would   sweep    away   any  outside 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

Opposition,  and   to   set  herself  free   to  judge  the  occi- 
dental woman  for  herself. 

As  a  result  of  this  revolutionary  determination,  the 
United  States  Minister's  wife  to  her  great  delight  learned 
that  she  was  to  have  an  audience  with  the  Queen. 

.  The  startling  news  that  the  invincible  Power  had  come 
to  recede  from  her  formidable  attitude  produced  intense 
excitement  at  the  United  States  Legation. 

On  the  appointed  day,  Her  Majesty  dispatched  for  the 
honored  guest  her  most  elegant  palanquin  of  fine  wood, 
gold  lacquered,  and  inset  with  beautiful  colored  stones. 
A  gold  Confucian  cross  was  at  each  upper  corner.  Its 
windows  were  of  old  Chinese  hand-painted  glass,  exquisite, 
beflowered  bits  of  historic  art.  The  inside  was  richly 
paneled  and  cushioned  with  layers  of  gold  brocade.  It 
was  like  a  great  jewel  case  and  held  a  fragrance  like  that 
of  a  rose  jar.  Relays  of  royal  chair-bearers  were  to  carry 
her,  and  the  King  sent  his  guard  as  an  escort. 

For  the  impressive  occasion,  Mrs.  Foote  who  was  ex- 
pected to  appear  in  Court-presentation  costume,  wore  a 
rich  gown  embellished  with  rare  laces.  Although  the 
entire  front  of  the  palanquin  was  raised,  she  found  diffi- 
culty in  stowing  away  her  dress  without  seriously  crushing 
the  precious  train.  The  General  merrily  watched  her 
attempts  to  make  a  nest.  Both  were  always  awake  to  the 
fun  of  a  situation,  and  the  wife  quickly  catching  her  hus- 
band's mischievous  eye,  said,  pausing  in  the  struggle  to 
accommodate  Western  breadth  as  expressed  in  dress  to 
Eastern  restriction  as  expressed  in  conveyances,  "Lucius, 
wouldn't  it  be  an  awful  beginning  if  I  were  forced  to  back 
out? 

Laughing  heartily,  he  replied,  "That  would  not  be  like 
you,  my  dear  Rose.  Rather,  diligently,  and  at  any  cost, 
back  in."  Thereupon,  aided  by  her  eager  little  maid  she 
redoubled  her  efforts  and  soon  had  the  refractory  costume 


diplomat's    helpmate 


adjusted  to  the  given  space  and  settled  herself  upon  the 
fragrant  cushion,  her  gay  train  fluted  about  her  like  a  pea- 
cock's spread  tail.  Her  husband  looked  on  with  twinkling 
and  admiring  eyes  as  with  the  Interpreter  and  Japanese 
maid  she  in  high-wrought  expectancy  set  off  to  meet  the 
greatest  Queen  of  far  Cathay.  The  United  States  Minister 
gazed  after  her  musing  upon  the  feminine  psychology  that 
eluded  his  skill.  While  wondering  at  the  ways  of  the 
masterful  Korean  woman,  he  found  it  beyond  his  diplo- 
matic vision  to  conjecture  what  this  unexpected  change  of 
policy  might  mean  in  the  play  of  the  future. 

Thousands  thronged  the  ancient  streets  to  get  a  glimpse 
of  the  stranger  hidden  behind  the  drawn  embroidered  cur- 
tains of  her  chair  with  no  opening  left  but  a  tiny  peephole. 
Many  adroitly  crept  under  the  palanquin  and  had  to  be 
dragged  out  and  beaten  off. 

The  palace  grounds  embraced  3000  acres  with  sum- 
mer and  winter  palaces  and  thousands  of  persons  lived 
there  in  attendance  upon  the  royal  family. 

When  the  honored  guest  reached  the  royal  gate,  as  if 
by  a  magic  wand  it  opened,  and  passing  the  guards,  she 
entered  an  enchanted  land  that  no  occidental  woman  had 
ever  dreamed  of.  She  felt  like  a  bird  on  wings  as  she  was 
hurried  along  through  many  beautiful  gateways,  into 
parks  with  kaleidoscopic  scenes  till  she  reached  the  recep- 
tion hall,  and  entered  the  ante-chamber.  Beyond  was 
the  room  where  the  King  and  Queen  sat  upon  the  throne, 
with  the  young  Prince  standing  by  their  side.  Mrs.  Foote 
with  lifted  head  and  stately  grace,  moved  forward  making 
the  prescribed  consecutive  salutations,  till  she  paused  be- 
fore the  august  pair  who  had  arisen  from  the  throne  and 
stood  as  she  approached.  They  were  in  magnificent  robes 
of  state.  The  King  was  attired  in  a  long  touramachi  or  coat 
of  rich  red  silk — the  royal  color.  Her  Majesty  wore  a  long, 
flowing  blue  silk  skirt,  with  a  yellow  silk  chogerie  or  jacket 


diplomat's    helpmate 


exquisitely  embroidered  and  fastened  with  amber  and 
pearl  buttons.  Her  raven-black  hair  was  drawn  smoothly 
away  from  the  interesting  face  and  effectively  coiled  in  a 
wheel  at  the  back  of  the  neck.  This  wheel  was  ornamented 
with  jewels  set  in  elaborated  gold  filigree.  Far  from  being 
startling  the  entire  costume  while  orientally  attractive 
was  harmonious  and  in  perfect  taste.  An  elegant  jewelled 
ornament  indicating  her  royalty  was  set  upon  her  well- 
shaped  head.  At  her  side  hung  a  number  of  gold  filigree 
jewelled  ornaments  with  long,  gay,  silk  tassels. 

When  the  two  women  faced  each  other  there  was  a 
pause.  Each  one  seemed  seriously  measuring  the  other. 
The  stranger's  majestic  yet  gentle  presence  filled  the 
august  Korean  couple  with  silent  surprise  and  respect  and 
to  Mrs.  Foote,  the  Queen  with  her  masterful  poise  and 
searching  eyes  did  not  need  the  badge  of  office  to  confirm 
her  wield  of  power.  After  this  momentary  tarrying,  the 
honored  American  wlas  received  with  the  elaborate  oriental 
court  etiquette  of  centuries.  The  King,  Queen  and  Prince 
each  in  turn  made  a  speech  of  welcome  and  the  United 
States  Minister's  lady  responded  with  an  unexpected  sweet 
graciousness  that  Her  Highness  was  quick  to  understand 
and  that  to  her  own  surprise  changed  her  formal  attitude 
into  a  carefully  guarded  approach  to  geniality. 

This  auspicious  interview  evidently  led  her  to  conclude 
that  her  Ladies  in  Waiting  were  not  far  mistaken  in  their 
enthusiasm  over  the  stranger. 

And  here  was  the  beginning  of  an  acquaintance  that 
through  tragic  circumstances  came  to  ripen  into  a  sincere 
attachment. 

Mrs.  Foote's  presentatioli  at  court  had  left  a  psycho- 
logical impress.  Her  Majesty,  whose  jealousy  and  hostility 
had  been  much  mitigated  by  the  late  interview,  could  not 
rid  herself  of  a  recurring  desire  to  come  into  closer  contact 
with  the  newcomer — in  fact  to  know  her.    She  felt  that 

1 20} 


DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 


something  persuasive  and  subtle  was  challenging  her  to 
further  encounter.  She  would  like  an  opportunity  to  study 
this  type  of  fearless  untrammelled  occidental  womanhood 
that  by  no  humanly-conferred  power  was  exercising  an 
effectual  queenhood  in  her  Korean  realm,  such  as  she, 
sovereign  by  law,  had  never  been  able  to  secure  by  her 
inflexible  methods.  After  much  puzzling  of  brain  the 
resourceful  sovereign  conceived  an  innovation  in  the  rule 
of  royal  functions  that  would  cause  all  the  country  to 
wonder.  The  design  was  to  give  a  Fete  Champetre  in  the 
palace  grounds  in  honor  of  the  lady  of  the  United  States 
Minister,  for  which  provision  would  be  made  with  a  munifi- 
cence beyond  that  of  any  like  attention  ever  offered  in 
the  Far  East.  By  imperial  command  the  entire  royal 
estate  with  its  marvelous  attractions  was  to  be  put  in 
immaculate  order  and  the  genius  of  its  various  artists 
taxed  to  their  utmost.  In  its  wonderful  stage  setting, 
the  most  fascinating  oriental  entertainments  would  be 
offered  on  a  scale  of  magnificence  transcending  all  previous 
events. 


[^/] 


Chapter  IV 

THE  QUEEN  G-IVES  A  WONDERFUL  FETE  CHAMPETRE  IN  HONOR  OF  THE 
LADY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  LEGATION.  THE  BEAUTIFUL  PALACE 
DOMAIN  AND  UNIQUE  ORIENTAL  ENTERTAINMENTS. 

WHEN  apprised  of  the  great  courtesy,  the  honored  lady 
received  it  with  an  exultant  pride,  which  was 
quickly  followed  by  a  characteristic  self-less  humility. 
Naturally  her  first  impulse  was  one  of  joy  at  the  implied 
victory  she  had  won,  but  that  impulse  of  pardonable  pride 
vanished  in  her  exultation  over  this  hopeful  sign  that  she 
should  be  the  instrument  to  light  woman's  way  in  Korea. 
Even  now  Western  women  missionaries  were  making  the 
venture.  It  was  as  an  answer  to  her  prayers  that  the 
United  States  Minister's  wife  had  regarded  the  innovation 
of  her  late  reception  at  the  Court  where  she  was  allowed 
freely  to  converse  with  the  Power  whose  displeasure 
against  her  had  been  so  determined.  The  general  belief 
prevailed  that  diplomatic  ethics  having  been  regarded  and 
the  Queen's  curiosity  having  been  satisfied,  her  chapter 
with  the  Imperious  One  was  forever  closed.  But  Mrs. 
Foote  intuitively  felt  that  this  was  not  true. 

Shaken  by  the  importance  of  the  extraordinary  atten- 
tion, the  American  Legation  from  high  to  low  indulged  in 
unrestricted  expressions  of  gratification.  Even  the  Gen- 
eral, aroused  to  an  unaccustomed  enthusiasm, declared  that 
his  wife  must  have  exercised  some  art  of  diplomacy,  the 
code  of  which  only  the  female  could  decipher,  else  such 
unparalleled  fortune  was  the  result  of  her  possessing  a  hid- 
den Aladdin's  lamp  whereby  she  might  tamper  with  the 
magic  of  the  East. 

I  22^ 


diplomat's    helpmate 


Again  the  royal  palanquin  and  the  King's  Guard  were 
at  Mrs.  Footers  disposal,  as  they  were  at  her  subsequent 
visits  to  the  palace.  So  great  was  the  demonstration  all 
along  the  route  that  severe  means  were  required  to  clear 
the  way.  Crowds  stood  watching  the  great  palace  gate 
as  it  opened  and  revealed  to  her  sight  two  hundred  tall 
eunuchs  in  plain  rich  uniform  who  lined  the  way  beyond 
and  emphasized  the  gorgeous  color  effects.  She  was  borne 
through  Eden-like  groves  in  which  apricot  and  plum  trees, 
palms  and  cherry  bushes  greeted  her  wondering  eyes. 
Delicate  flowers  bordered  the  paths  and  perfumed  the  air; 
crysanthemums  and  other  sumptuous  blooms  banked  the 
sunny  hillsides  and  here  and  there  were  long  carpets  of 
tender  greensward.  Onward  she  was  gently  carried,  past 
towering  red  and  gold  lacquered  pagodas  and  pavilions 
richly  tiled  in  emphatic  hues.  Fairy  tea  houses  were 
perched  on  vine-clad  cliffs  and  miniature  temples  rose  up 
on  isles,  the  bright  fluted  green  and  gold  roofs  and  sur- 
rounding plants  reflected  in  the  clear  waters  of  the  lakes. 
From  the  distance  floated  music  from  stringed  instruments 
that  with  the  accompaniment  of  the  clash  of  tom-toms 
and  gongs  sometimes  rose  to  martial  strains.  Birds  of  gay 
plumage  flew  among  the  tree  tops  like  flashing  jewels,  but 
the  crowning  decorative  motifs  were  the  Court  Ladies  and 
hundreds  of  other  dames  of  high  degree  who  were  scattered 
over  the  lawns,  effectively  displaying  marvelous  creations 
of  the  oriental  costumer.  Translated  to  a  new-found 
world  the  American  was  so  abandoning  herself  to  its 
enchantment  that  she  was  barely  aroused  from  the  lure 
of  a  lotus  dream  when  the  palace  was  reached. 

She  was  graciously  received  by  the  King  and  Queen 
and  with  less  punctilious  ceremony  than  that  exercised  at 
the  first  presentation.  Her  Majesty  wore  a  robe  of  fabu- 
lous price,  its  rich  material  and  embroideries  enhanced  by 

[  ^3  ] 


diplomat's    helpmate 


rare  pearls.    Her  picturesque  and  now  mellowed  person- 
ality impressed  itself  vividly  upon  Mrs.  Foote. 

The  august  hostess  made  a  new  and  daring  departure 
by  engaging  in  the  festivities  and  exhibiting  much  enjoy- 
ment of  the  stranger  upon  whom  the  Court  Ladies  were 
in  constant  attendance.  The  latter,  ingenuous  little 
creatures,  were  piqued  with  intense  curiosity.  A  few, 
encouraged  by  the  guest's  re-assuring  manner,  pointed  to 
her  long  white  kid  gloves  whereupon  she  skinned  them  off, 
while  they  apprehensively  looked  to  see  the  epidermis  go 
as  well.  The  women  then  passed  them  around  and  merrily 
hid  their  own  baby-like  hands  within  their  depths.  Mrs. 
Footers  white  arms  and  hands  were  gently  examined  as 
were  her  diamond  ornaments.  They  wondered  how  she 
could  manage  such  a  load  of  uncomfortable  sumptuous 
apparel  and  submit  to  having  her  waist  boxed  up,  while 
their  curiosity  was  eager  to  learn  where  she  procured  the 
cosmetics  that  made  her  so  fair.  It  was  all  very  confiding 
and  child-like.  The  autocrat  of  the  Court  looked  on  with 
interest  and  when  eagerly  listening  to  the  talk  was  closely 
studying  the  Westerner,  who  while  she  fascinated,  baffled 
her  analysis  and  filled  her  with  increased  wonderment.  As 
she  followed  the  conversation  and  the  rapid  exchanges  of 
ideas  by  the  feminine  international  code  of  gesticulation, 
she  found  all  lingering  antagonism  vanishing  and  her  spirit 
quickening  to  an  undefinable  yearning.  Did  she  begin  to 
question  if  it  were  not  a  reaching  out  for  something  that 
could  be  disclosed  only  to  one  who  is  not  too  hampered 
by,  and  dependent  upon,  the  things  of  sense?  She  had 
been  feeling  her  way,  warily  guarding  against  too  intimate 
a  concession,  but  persuaded  by  the  sincerity  of  the  gentle 
Westerner,  she  threw  down  the  barriers  of  restraint  and 
heartily  entered  into  the  exchange  of  happy  thoughts. 
As  she  did  so,  her  face  was  transfigured  into  a  positive 
beauty.    Mrs.  Foote  was  delighted  as  the  Queen  revealed 


DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 


the  knowledge,  intelligence  and  wit  of  a  well-stored  mind, 
and  she  soon  discovered  in  the  much  misrepresented,  mis- 
understood royal  hostess,  assurances  of  a  lofty,  generous 
soul. 

The  joyous  guest  was  escorted  from  place  to  place  to 
unique  entertainments.  Music  stole  down  from  musicians 
seated  in  pagodas.  On  the  bank  of  a  lake  a,  large  lotus 
bud  opened,  disclosing  a  nude  babe  that  was  received  into 
the  welcoming  arms  of  an  awaiting  mother.  A  sail  boat 
upon  a  lake  carried  a  number  of  flower-like  girls  who 
danced  upon  the  deck,  their  rhythmic  motions  and  beau- 
tiful poses  illustrating  an  historical  story.  And  various 
admirable  little  plays  were  enacted,  appealing  so  lucidly 
to  the  imagination  that  no  interpreter  was  needed.  Funny 
little  acrobats  stood  on  their  heads  and  hung  among  the 
tree  branches.  Between  times  Oriental  refreshments  were 
served  at  Wistaria-enwreathed  tea  houses  on  islands  in  the 
center  of  lakes  whose  waters  were  covered  with  lotus 
blossoms  and  spanned  by  red  lacquered  and  stone  bridges. 

For  romantic  magnificence  and  bewildering  beauty,  the 
Fete  surpassed  anything  of  a  festive  character  that  had 
ever  been  presented  in  the  Land  of  the  Morning  Calm. 

As  Mrs.  Foote  was  about  to  depart,  the  Queen  with 
radiant  face  expressed  a  hope  that  she  would  soon  see  her 
again  and  assured  her  that  the  entertainment  was  intended 
as  a  tribute  and  not  merely  as  a  ceremonial.  And  our 
conquering  unoflicial  diplomat  went  home  in  glowing 
wonder  over  this  budding  friendship. 


[^5] 


Chapter  V 

SIGNAL  OF  PEOPLE'S  UPRISING  SOUNDS  AT  STATE  BANQUET.  GENERAL 
FOOTE  RESCUES  WOUNDED  COURT  FAVORITE.  KING  URGES 
GENERAL  AND  MRS.  FOOTE  TO  SEEK  SAFETY  AT  PALACE,  BUT 
UNITED  STATES  MINISTER  AND  WIFE  REMAIN  UNDER  THEIR 
FLAG.  THE  CITY  ABLAZE  WITH  REVOLT.  THE  PEOPLE'S  GRATI- 
TUDE SAVES  AMERICAN  LEGATION  FROM  DESTRUCTION. 
FOREIGN  RESIDENTS  HURRY  AWAY  TO  TREATY  PORT.  FOREIGN 
EMBASSADORS  CALLED  TO  CHEMULPO.  MRS.  FOOTE  REMAINS 
ALONE  IN  THE  CAPITAL  AT  ROYAL  REQUEST.  HER  LONG  VIGIL 
WITH  THE  FLAG  HER  COMRADE. 

BUT  political  trouble  was  brewing.  It  was  significant 
that  China  had  a  large  number  of  troops  within  the 
walls  of  the  city  and  displayed  an  amount  of  impressive 
military  paraphernalia  and  Japan  kept  a  complement  of 
soldiers  in  readiness,  in  case  any  need  arose  for  the  pro- 
tection of  their  new  legation  buildings. 

The  impending  crash  came  finally,  in  the  way  of  an 
awful  surprise.  It  was  on  December  4,  1884,  at  an  elabo- 
rate banquet  given  by  a  recent  Korean  embassador  to  the 
United  States.  The  dominant  figure  among  the  natives 
present  was  the  handsome  Prince  Min  Yong  Ik,  one  of  the 
late  embassadors  to  the  United  States.  Only  a  few  years 
before,  after  a  harrowing  experience  in  a  revolt,  he  had 
shaved  his  head  and,  as  a  Buddhist  Priest,  fled  for  safety 
to  another  country,  while  his  cousin,  the  Queen,  who  had 
exchanged  clothes  with  a  servant  escaped  and  her  substi- 
tute was  slain.  Thereafter  her  Majesty  returned  in 
triumph  and  established  a  cabinet  of  her  own  making. 
The  Prince  was  a  Conservative,  and  the  Court  favorite, 
with  an  immense  fortune,  and  with  a  standing  next  to  that 


General  Lucius  Harwood  Foote 


A     DIPLOMAT     S      HELPMATE 

of  the  King.  All  countries  were  represented  at  the  feast 
and  the  oriental  nobles  were  especially  elaborately  cos- 
tumed in  gorgeously  dyed  robes.  Suddenly  there  was  an 
alarm  of  fire.  It  was  a  signal  understood  by  certain  of 
the  guests,  and  they  instantly  arose.  Like  an  electric 
flash  came  the  realization  to  the  unsuspecting  that  a  plot 
was  being  hatched,  and  in  consternation,  they,  too,  jumped 
to  their  feet.  Prince  Min  Yong  Ik,  who  was  no  novice  to 
such  a  dramatic  demonstration  was  quick  to  comprehend 
the  subtle  significance  of  the  fire-call  and  the  danger  to 
himself,  and  rushed  out  into  the  Court-yard,  only  to  be 
set  upon  by  conspirators  and  fearfully  gashed.  He  stag- 
gered back  into  the  hall,  a  ghastly  sight  with  seven  sword- 
cuts  in  his  head,  body  arteries  severed  and  the  flesh  of  his 
carven  cheek  hanging  down.  Thereupon  the  Orientals  ex- 
citedly tore  off"  their  brilliant  outer  garments  and  jewelled 
girdles,  revealing  a  simple  dress  and  in  a  twinkling  all  the 
Liberals  headed  by  the  arch-conspirator,  Kim  Ok  Kuin, 
rushed  to  the  gates,  or  scampered  over  the  walls  and  van- 
ished. General  Foote  had  sprung  forward  to  catch  the 
wounded  and  almost  dying  Prince  in  his  arms,  and  of  the 
guests  he  alone  remained.  Still  holding  the  stricken  man, 
he  quickly  gave  orders  to  the  demoralized  attendants,  and 
in  a  brief  time  had  the  Prince  placed  in  the  care  of  Dr. 
Allen,  a  skillful,  American  surgeon  who  had  lately  entered 
the  country. 

He  then  made  for  the  Legation  through  the  dismal  old 
streets,  crunching  over  the  snow,  occasionally  seeing  a 
twinkling  light  from  a  little  house,  and  while  meeting  but 
one  man,  an  officer  on  duty,  was  confronted  here  and  there 
by  a  lone  ghost-like,  closely  veiled  woman  in  white  finding 
her  way  to  her  hut  by  aid  of  a  tiny  lamp  with  its  beeswax 
taper. 

The  American  Minister  reached  home  in  such  a  sad 
plight  as  to  alarm  the  servants.    Absorbed  in  the  horror 


diplomat's    helpmate 


of  the  scene,  he  had  not  perceived  that  his  clothes  were 
soaked  and  dripping  with  the  Prince's  blood.  Mrs.  Foote, 
hurrying  to  greet  him  was  overwhelmed,  for  she  instantly 
imagined  that  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  assassinate 
him  and  that  he  had  staggered  home  to  die.  He  quieted 
her  fears. 

But  soon  there  was  added  consternation  throughout 
the  Legation,  for  it  became  known  that  a  messenger  had 
come  in  haste  bringing  the  King's  Guard,  and  was  awaiting 
audience.  He  bore  an  earnest  request  from  His  Majesty 
that  the  United  States  Minister  and  his  wife  should  come 
at  once  to  the  Palace  for  safety.  General  Foote  politely 
replied  that  he  would  remain  under  his  flag  and  Mrs. 
Foote  refused  the  proffered  rescue  declaring  that  she  would 
stay  with  her  husband.  Although  both  comprehended 
that  the  rioting  Korean  mob  would  have  scant  compre- 
hension of  a  foreign  embassy's  right  to  inviolability  in 
internecine  disturbance,  yet  they  knew  that  it  was  their 
duty  to  maintain  and  establish  that  standard  of  neutral 
immunity,  at  whatever  cost  to  themselves.  It  was  a  part 
of  the  heroic  work  of  the  occidental  diplomatic  pathfinder. 

There  was  noise  and  commotion  throughout  the  city, 
but  the  night  wore  itself  away  and  the  next  day  with  its 
complications  of  duty,  was  a  busy  and  a  trying  one  for  the 
American  representative  whose  valued  suggestions  in  the 
grave  conferences  were  characterized  by  a  supreme  tact 
that  met  the  exigencies  of  the  delicate  situation. 

Then  a  night  of  terror  set  in  and  the  United  States 
Minister  and  his  wife  stood  confronting  the  horrors  of  an 
oriental  revolution. 

The  Japanese  Minister  had  gone  to  the  Palace  upon 
invitation  of  the  King,  it  was  asserted,  and  the  Japanese 
soldiers  had  formed  a  cordon  around  the  Palace  walls. 
The  Liberals  had  then  rushed  to  the  Palace  and  quickly 
accomplished  their  purpose.    Surrounding  the  King  they 


A      DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

had  deposed  and  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  members  of  his 
Cabinet  who  were  the  Queen's  appointees,  and  installed 
men  of  their  own  party.  The  Queen,  herself,  in  a  state  of 
horror  and  anguish,  hid  away  but  momentarily  expected 
to  be  dragged  out  and  assassinated.  The  fierce  battle  in 
the  palace  grounds  left  pools  of  blood,  and  during  the 
conflict  bullets  whizzed  over  the  United  States  Legation, 
producing  intense  excitement.  The  valuable  and  favorite 
dog  in  the  American  home  added  to  the  turmoil  by  crouch- 
ing and  whining  then  going  dangerously  mad.  He  was 
ordered  to  be  shot  in  spite  of  Mrs.  Footers  grief  and  en- 
treaties. The  Legation  was  put  under  martial  law. 
Luckily  the  winter's  supply  of  provisions  had  been  secured. 

The  American  woman's  thoughts  went  out  anxiously 
to  the  Queen  who  with  the  King  had  so  quickly  proffered 
her  and  her  husband  refuge  from  impending  danger  and 
who  herself  was  how  imperiled  and  powerless  in  the  midst 
of  that  carnage.  Perhaps  she  was  awfully  tortured — per- 
haps slain  in  the  bloody  arena.  If  alive  maybe  she  would 
see  the  flag  and  divine  its  message  and  take  courage. 
Never  had  the  Minister  and  his  wife  so  felt  the  potency 
of  their  national  symbol. 

However  the  ascendency  of  the  Liberals  was  short- 
lived. The  Conservatives  realizing  that  submission  to 
this  defeat  would  be  a  death-blow  to  their  power,  rallied 
with  a  desperate  courage,  and,  largely  reinforced  by 
Chinese  troops  under  Yuan  Shi  Kai,  they  stormed  the 
palace  stronghold,  drove  the  daring  new  usurpers  to  cover, 
regained  control  of  the  Government,  brought  the  suffering 
but  undaunted  Queen  from  her  place  of  concealment  and 
re-established  the  King. 

Upon  this  amazing  turn  of  affairs,  the  Japanese  Guard 
and  officials  in  quick  haste  secured  the  state  papers  from 
their  Legation  building,  hastily  gathered  together  many 
re&igee  Japanese  men,  women    and  children  who   had 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

congregated  at  the  embassy  and  protected  by  their  sol- 
diers they  as  a  desperate  party  perilously  rushed  through 
the  streets,  hurled  themselves  against  the  Western  Gate, 
beat  it  down  and  fled  to  Chemulpo.  It  was  a  daring 
heroic  dash.  Many  were  killed  and  many  of  the  wounded 
fell  in  the  city  streets,  where  they  died  and  their  bodies 
remained  till  devoured  by  the  dogs. 

The  new  Japanese  Legation  buildings  and  the  town 
palaces  of  the  Liberals  all  over  the  Capital  went  up  in 
flame,  reddening  the  entire  sky.  The  hostile  bands  had 
broken  into  the  arsenal,  and  together  with  the  entire  native 
population  had  turned  the  city  into  a  pandemonium. 
The  Japanese  as  sympathizers  of  the  Liberals  were  in  dire 
straits  as  the  mob's  particular  objects  of  vengeance.  Their 
blood  was  running  in  the  streets.  Every  Legation  flag, 
except  the  Stars  and  Stripes  was  hauled  down,  and  the 
inmates  of  the  British  Legation  came  to  that  of  the  United 
States.  During  the  nine  days  of  trouble,  the  American 
flag  was  the  only  foreign  banner  that  waved  and  floated 
from  the  beginning  continuously,  beckoning  the  oppressed 
to  its  haven,  despite  the  fact  that  such  an  invitation  was 
risking,  even  inviting  attack.  Those  of  the  persecuted 
who  could,  fled  to  the  refuge,  and  Minister  Foote  gave 
orders  to  open  the  gates  to  all  such  who  came. 

More  than  once,  the  United  States  buildings  were  on 
the  verge  of  destruction.  In  anticipation  of  the  storming 
of  the  Legation,  the  state  papers  were  secured  and  all  was 
made  ready  for  the  almost  hopeless  attempt  to  escape. 
A  hollow  square  was  to  be  formed,  and  Mrs.  Foote  in  her 
chair,  with  the  state  papers  was  to  be  placed  in  the  center. 
Then  a  courageous  sortie  was  to  be  tried  in  an  effort  to 
make  way  through  the  turbulent  streets,  confronting  ter- 
rors, force  a  city  gate  and  flee  to  the  treaty  port.  The 
Minister's  wife  faced  this  prospect  as  she  had  all  the  fear- 
ful experiences,  with  a  composed  strong  heart.    She  lost 

[jo] 


diplomat's    helpmate 


thought  of  herself  in  her  continued  personal  attention  to 
the  rescued  and  still  imperiled  men,  women  and  children. 
Typical  of  the  numerous  perplexing  and  trying  difficulties 
which  her  masterly  tact  was  called  upon  to  adjust  was 
that  of  a  rescued  Mohammedan  woman  with  her  ingrained 
prejudices.  She  refused  to  eat  the  proffered  food  or  even 
use  the  dishes  and  cooking  utensils,  and  she  had  a  hungry, 
crying  baby.  Mrs.  Foote  as  the  good  angel  came  to  the 
relief  and  smoothed  over  the  situation  so  wisely  that 
mother  and  child  were  agreeably  and  bountifully  fed. 

It  was  by  no  mere  chance  that  the  American  Legation 
survived  the  heroic  part  it  played  in  this  dire  drama.  Not 
only  was  the  American  Minister  honored  and  admired  by 
the  court  and  the  native  populace,  but  his  noble  wife  was 
revered  by  the  whole  city,  from  queen  to  lowliest  peasant. 
Thousands  knew  personally  of  her  charities  and  gracious 
acts  of  kindness.  Again  and  again,  some  fierce  spirits 
would  have  applied  the  torch  to  the  ancient  palace  over 
which  the  Stars  and  Stripes  undauntedly  beckoned  to  the 
imperiled.  But  always  at  the  highest  danger  point,  the 
attempt  to  destroy  the  place  was  frustrated  by  grateful 
natives  springing  forward  with  vehement  reminders  of  the 
benefactions  of  these  high-minded  foreigners  who  were 
from  the  country  to  which  Korea  first  confided  her  trust. 

Beyond  all  else,  it  was  their  preparedness  in  personal 
qualities,  which  fortified  and  preserved  the  American  and 
his  wife  and  enabled  them  to  be  protectors  to  all  those 
who  sought  safety  under  the  star-lit  banner. 

After  a  time  of  threatening  and  wearing  uncertainty, 
the  sounds  of  riot  and  destruction  died  away  to  distant 
mutterings.  But  while  the  old  capital  seemed  stunned  to 
quiet  by  the  horror  of  the  late  experience,  fears  were  felt 
that  the  smouldering  fires  might  rekindle. 

Immediately  upon  the  abatement  of  hostilities,  the 
United  States  Minister  demanded  that  the  Japanese,  who 


diplomat's    helpmate 


had  been  sheltered  by  his  Legation,  be  taken  to  Chemulpo 
with  a  guard  and  this  was  speedily  done. 

All  the  foreign  residents  of  Seoul  now  took  occasion  to 
break  camp  and  hurry  away  to  the  treaty  port.  As  Dean 
of  the  Diplomatic  Corps,  the  United  States  Minister  pre- 
pared to  go  to  Chemulpo  to  confer  with  Count  Inouye,  the 
Japanese  Minister  of  Foreign  affairs,  who  accredited  as 
special  Embassador,  had  arrived  there.  To  further  add 
to  the  gravity  of  the  situation  word  came  of  the  landing 
and  encampment  of  several  thousand  Japanese  troops,  and 
this  news  further  stirred  the  capital.  Mrs.  Foote  was  to 
accompany  her  husband. 

Suddenly  in  the  night  before  the  intended  departure, 
a  messenger  came  in  haste  from  the  palace.  What  did  it 
portend  ?  General  Foote  went  out  to  learn,  and  his  wife, 
alarmed,  quickly  followed.  She  heard  her  name  men- 
tioned. The  King  and  Queen  had  sent  to  ask  if  Mrs. 
Foote  would  consent  to  remain  at  the  capital.  It  was 
their  Majesties'  urgent  appeal.  The  anxious  rulers  feared 
that,  in  the  impending  departure  of  all  foreigners,  the 
rebellious  might  find  excuse  for  entirely  throwing  off 
restraint  and  renew  more  fiercely  than  ever,  the  atroci- 
ties of  the  past  days.  It  was  the  conviction  of  both  King 
and  Queen  that  the  one  being  in  Seoul  who  could  hold 
the  people's  confidence  was  Mrs.  Foote.  They  urged 
through  their  messenger  that  public  knowledge  that  this 
beloved  foreign  friend  of  all,  remained  quietly  and  con- 
fidently in  her  legation-home  under  her  flag  would  re- 
assure the  demoralized  and  keep  in  check  the  violent. 

The  Minister  was  profoundly  affected  by  this  magnifi- 
cent tribute  to  his  wife  but,  while  he  would  have  gladly 
risked  any  personal  danger  to  be  of  aid,  he  could  not  allow 
his  wife  to  be  exposed  to  the  perils  of  such  a  heroic  situ- 
ation, and  he  spoke  for  her  and  emphatically  refused.  But 
Mrs.  Foote  was  never  known  to  turn  away  from  an  appeal 


diplomat's    helpmate 


for  help,  and  now,  that  from  so  high  a  source  confidence 
was  expressed  in  her  ability  to  be  of  service  in  such  a 
crucial  time,  there  could  be  but  one  response.  She  might 
avert  further  bloodshed.  Her  duty  was  plain  and  she  so 
expressed  herself  and  her  husband,  moved  by  the  char- 
acteristic attitude  of  self-sacrifice,  finally  reluctantly  con- 
sented to  the  royal  plea,  but  not  until  he  had  demanded 
and  been  promised  that  a  joint  Korean  and  Chinese  guard 
come  and  surround  "Chung-Dong." 

It  was  a  trying  day  when  the  courageous  woman  saw 
her  husband  depart  and  realized  that  the  Legation  gates 
were  closed  and  locked  and  that  she,  a  lone  occidental 
woman,  was  left  in  the  ancient  city.  By  climbing  a  ladder 
to  the  top  of  the  outer  legation  wall,  she  might  see  a 
section  of  the  encircling  oriental  army  that  was  to  pro- 
tect her  from  the  possible  fury  of  a  host  of  other  Orientals 
whose  thirst  for  blood  was  perhaps  not  yet  satisfied. 

The  succeeding  long  hours  of  apprehension  were  as 
years.  Sometimes  she  was  startled  by  a  report  of  an  up- 
rising, and  every  unusual  noise  caused  her  heart  to  jump. 
One  less  strongly  equipped  might  have  fancied  that  at 
night  the  ghosts  of  the  long-ago  valiant  decapitated  Mins 
of  "Chung-Dong"  were  rising  up  in  sympathy  with  the 
uneasy,  struggling  survivors  of  their  proud  house,  and 
stalking  about  the  corridors. 

Even  the  usually  attractive  lighting  of  the  afternoon 
signal-fires  to  gleam  like  loads  of  jewels  on  the  far-off 
mountain  facing  the  palace  could  now  have  an  ominous 
significance,  as  even  the  powerful  "ding-dong"  of  the  great 
city  bell,  which  was  a  distinct  feature  in  the  capital,  might 
voice  a  terrorizing  warning. 

This  immense  huge- toned  object  was  hung  in  a  pagoda 
in  the  center  of  the  metropolis.  The  funereal  tolling  of  it 
was  accompanied  by  a  weird  refrain — not  unlike  that  of 
bagpipes — and  was  rendered  by  musicians  placed  in  the 

Iss] 


diplomat's    helpmate 


pavilion  over  the  Governor's  Yamen  gate.  As  Mrs.  Foote 
now  heard  its  accustomed  melancholy  peals  reverberate 
announcing  that  the  sixteen  city  gates  were  shut,  it  em- 
phasized the  precarious  nature  of  her  situation. 

In  times  of  peace,  this  old  ceremony  of  the  gate  closing, 
had  impressed  her  as  a  vesper-like,  sacred  rite  of  high 
solemnity;  today  the  metallic  messenger  seemed  to  give 
out  angry  vibrations,  as  if  with  a  cruel  personality,  sure 
to  set  the  imagination  conjecturing  pictures  of  awful 
possibilities. 

But  her  greatest  concern  was  for  her  husband.  What 
of  him  ?  Through  the  trial  she  was  not  left  alone.  She  had 
a  dependable  comrade — Old  Glory  was  there!  In  these 
periods  of  depression,  she  would  go  out  and  look  up.  It 
waved  as  if  with  a  purpose  of  sympathy  and  steadfastness 
giving  her  fresh  courage — the  dear,  battered  flag  that  was 
the  bond  between  her  and  her  country  with  its  millions 
of  responsive  souls. 

"Our  Father's  God  to  Thee!" 

Surely,  surely,  he  would  be  protected. 

She  was  further  heartened  by  the  confident  belief  that 
the  Queen's  old  antagonism  had  been  transmuted  into  a 
kindly,  responsive  feeling.  No  doubt  the  Western  woman's 
latest  benign  act  was  having  a  deep  effect  upon  the  ori- 
ental sister,  who  had  always  been  on  the  defensive  with 
a  reliance  on  cruelty  as  her  potent  weapon.  Indeed,  Her 
Majesty  was  giving  direct  evidence  of  sincere  concern  for 
the  imperiled  stranger.  Night  and  morning  she  sent  a 
message  conveying  warm  greetings  and  asking  what  she 
could  do  for  her  "good  friend,"  and  Mrs.  Foote  responded 
with  her  accustomed  graciousness.  The  very  lack  of 
opportunity  for  a  clear  comprehension  of  each  other  had 
been  a  stimulant  to  interest.  And  now  the  exercise  of  a 
reciprocity  of  good-will  afforded  a  psychological  season- 
ableness  for  an  understanding  and  for  the  consummation 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

of  a  Strong  bond  between  the  two  women  of  divergent 
types. 

Just  as  Mrs.  Foote  felt  that  she  could  no  longer  bear 
the  strain  of  suspense  concerning  her  husband,  he  returned. 


[J5] 


Chapter  VI 

GENERAL  FOOTE  SUCCEEDS  IN  ADJUSTING  DIFFICULTIES.  THANKED 
BY  GOVERNMENTS.  PREPARES  TO  LEAVE  FOR  CALIFORNIA 
HOME.  MRS.  FOOTE  OVERCOMES  QUEEN'S  INTENTION  TO  EXE- 
CUTE FAMILIES  OF  CONDEMNED  REBELS.  SOVEREIGN  GRIEVES 
AT  DEPARTURE  OF  HER  AMERICAN  WOMAN  FRIEND.  MINISTER 
AND  MRS.  FOOTE  REGRETFULLY  LEAVE  CHUNG-DONG.  TEAR- 
FULLY SALUTE  THEIR  TATTERED  FLAG. 

AFTER  brilliant  success  as  a  diplomat  in  the  conference, 
at  Chemulpo,  theUnited  States  Minister  had  hastened 
back  to  the  capital,  barely  in  time  to  save  his  wife  from 
a  collapse. 

He  soon  accomplished  a  perfectly  satisfactory  adjust- 
ment of  the  late  difficulties  that  had  threatened  to  involve 
the  entire  Orient  in  war.  For  this  achievement  he  re- 
ceived, in  good  time,  the  official  thanks  of  Korea,  Japan 
and  China  and  was  accorded  the  highest  commendation 
from  his  own  government. 

Mrs.  Foote  felt  the  strain  of  the  awful  ordeal  through 
which  she  had  passed  and  her  health  was  much  impaired, 
and  now,  as  she  heard  that  the  families  of  the  condemned 
Liberals  were  to  be  included  with  the  latter  in  the  death 
penalty,  she  was  weighted  with  a  deep  grief.  Was  there 
no  way  to  avert  the  ruthless  sacrifice  of  those  innocent 
women  and  children  ?  Oh,  if  she  could  meet  the  powerful 
Queen  and  appeal  to  her  awakening  spirit.  But  she  saw 
no  way — the  wife  of  a  diplomat — she  was  more  hampered 
than  she  would  have  been  as  a  Western  woman  of  less 
prestige. 

General  Footers  mission  to  Korea  was  fulfilled.  With 
the  cordial  assurance  that  he  had  creditably  served  his 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

nation,  he  set  about  preparations  for  return  to  the  Cali- 
fornia home. 

To  the  Royal  One  this  news  came  like  a  blow.  She 
stood  aghast  as  it  was  brought  home  to  her  that  this  meant 
the  unutterable  loss  of  the  dependable  woman  and  she  so 
expressed  herself  in  a  sorrowing  message.  Following  this 
testimony,  she  sent  a  warm  invitation  to  the  Minister's 
lady  to  make  her  a  visit  at  the  winter  palace. 

Her  endearing  "good  friend"  was  always  glad  to  re- 
spond to  the  royal  call,  and  now,  and  far  beyond  the 
personal  interest,  she  especially  hailed  this  auspicious 
opportunity — trusting  to  some  providential  illumination 
by  which  she  might  reach  the  innermost  heart  of  the 
power  behind  the  throne. 

Over  ice  and  snow,  in  the  royal  palanquin,  and  escorted 
by  the  King's  Guard,  she  was  carried  to  the  ruler's  domain 
for  the  last  time.  The  glorious  gardens  that  she  had 
enjoyed  in  their  spring  and  summer  splendor  had  been 
trampled  down  and  laid  waste  by  devastating  battle, 
giving  place  to  a  dreary  scene.  And  for  the  joy  of  sunny, 
happy  days  there  was  an  atmosphere  of  melancholy  that 
as  they  advanced  was  enhanced  by  the  sight  of  bloody 
stains  on  the  walls — gruesome  memorial  inscriptions  of  the 
fate  of  the  Queen's  beloved  relatives. 

Fearing  madness,  as  she  in  imagination  continually 
heard  the  piteous  cries  of  her  slaughtered  kinsmen.  Her 
Majesty  had  abandoned  the  beautiful,  ghostly  palace  that 
had  been  the  scene  of  such  heart-break  and  was  domiciled 
in  another  sumptuous  abode. 

The  two  tried  souls  now  met  on  the  common  ground 
of  suffering — woman  to  woman — rank  and  ceremony  for- 
gotten. The  Queen  graphically  depicted  her  part  in  the 
late  revolution's  horrible  tragedy,  when  several  of  her  dear 
ones  had  been  beheaded  in  the  palace  grounds,  at  her  very 
doors,  while  she  in  terror  awaited  a  similar  fate.    Haggard 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

and  hollow-eyed,  she  bore  awful  traces  of  the  ordeal  and 
expressed  good  reason  for  still  being  distrustful  of  all  about 
her.  In  her  loneliness  and  extremity  it  was  to  this 
American,  whom  she  had  come  to  trust  and  believe  in 
with  a  new-found  sincerity,  that  she  could  without  fear 
unreservedly  pour  out  her  woe. 

Overcome  by  her  own  recital,  the  forlorn  woman,  for- 
getting oriental  restraint,  pathetically  reached  out  and 
Mrs.  Foote  took  the  worn  body  in  a  warm,  maternal  clasp. 

At  the  opportune  moment  the  visitor  led  the  stricken 
ruler  to  a  consideration  of  the  great  subject  she  had  at 
heart — the  appalling  intention  of  the  Conservatives  to 
slaughter  the  members  of  the  families  of  the  condemned 
Liberals.  With  gentle  tact  the  Westerner  sought  to  arouse 
the  bettfer  spirit  in  the  dominant  figure  in  this  awful  pur- 
pose. She  tried  to  show  her  the  needless  cruelty  and  the 
injustice  of  sacrificing  innocent  lives.  The  attempt  but 
kindled  fire  in  the  merciless  eyes.  The  strong  chin  tight- 
ened and  the  royal  back  stiffened  in  quick  resentment  and 
challenge  at  this  interference  with  her  prerogative.  The 
outraged  Power  could  not  forget  the  atrocities  lately  com- 
mitted. She  flamed  with  rage  and  was  barbaric  in  the 
determination  to  be  avenged.  She  declared  with  pregnant 
significance  her  justification  in  the  inflexible  resolution  to 
exact  the  fullest  expiation  just  as  the  Liberals  would  have 
done  had  they  not  been  routed.  Upon  any  menace  to  or 
interference  with  her  dominion,  the  Queen  invariably  had 
taken  a  leading  part  in  plot,  intrigue  and  treachery,  and 
to  her  this  law  of  retaliation  with  its  severe  sweeping 
penalty  needed  no  defense  as  the  righteous  way  of  dimin- 
ishing the  ranks  of  a  dangerous  opposing  clan.  She  made 
the  determined  guest  strongly  feel  her  self-centered  power 
and  the  intensity  of  a  strong  personality.  But,  nothing 
daunted,   the    valiant    suppliant    persevered,    pleading 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

earnestly  while  hoping  to  reach  the  better  nature  that 
she  knew  was  there. 

Then  a  long  pause  ensued.  Surely  the  obstinate,  be- 
nighted mind  was  quickening  to  the  spirit's  touch,  for  the 
tension  of  the  drawn  face  relaxed.  The  royal  one  began 
to  listen  with  an  aroused  interest  as  Mrs.  Foote  reminded 
her  of  the  value  of  Confucian  ethics  and  called  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  highest  command  of  Buddha  was  to 
take  no  life — not  even  that  of  a  worm,  "lest  it  be  hindered 
in  its  upward  way,"  and  that  in  Confucian  philosophy 
saving  life  is  one  of  the  three  works  of  perfection.  Every 
moment  was  precious  as  this  messenger  of  mercy  plied 
her  genius  for  success  in  the  right.  When  she  paused,  the 
hostess'  penetrating  gaze  was  softened  into  an  expression 
of  clarifying  intelligence. 

Here  was  a  woman  from  the  Occident,  charging  her 
with  a  lack  of  understanding  and  even  of  an  abuse  of  the 
most  beautiful  teachings  of  the  great  oriental  religions, 
and  she  was  feeling  the  radiance  and  truths  of  such  sin- 
cerity and  goodness.  All  her  senses  were  now  on  the  alert. 
Down  in  her  being  was  a  stir  of  normal  comprehension 
and  it  strove  upward.  Again  there  was  a  long  silence. 
The  great  Korean  was  thinking  deeply,  the  inward  combat 
in  its  dying  gasp. 

Perhaps  to  the  perturbed  sovereign  it  was  becoming 
clearer  than  ever  before  that  in  this  fair  foreigner's  benef- 
icent and  beautiful  philosophy  as  she  continually  applied 
it,  lay  her  success  in  reaching  the  hearts  of  the  Korean 
people,  and  that  it  was  through  this  same  spiritual  in- 
fluence that  she  herself  had  undergone  the  moral  change 
whereby  vindictiveness  toward  the  Western  adventurer 
had  been  turned  into  a  confident  trust.  The  beseecher's 
sincerity,  her  unfaltering  courage  and  her  wonderful  poise, 
amazed  the  queen  and  exalted  her  consciousness  till  she 


[jp] 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

emerged  from  the  throes  of  a  mental  battle  with  a  bright- 
ened vision  that  transfigured  the  worn  face  into  beauty. 

Then  she  slowly  and  earnestly  said: 

"My  sister,  you  have  conquered.  The  lives  of  the 
innocent  women  and  children  of  the  condemned  Liberals 
shall  be  spared!" 

This  magnanimous  declaration  rang  out  to  the  pro- 
foundly touched  listener  like  a  song  of  triumph  over  dark- 
ness. By  comparison  she  felt  her  own  unworthiness, 
and  now  saw  this  great  character  in  whom  she  had  al- 
ways placed  a  strong  faith  revealed  in  the  light  of  an  all- 
encircling  illumination  that  hopefully  touched  on  the  years 
to  come.  For  surely  thenceforth  the  enlightened  Korean's 
powers  would  be  directed  by  an  uplifted  understanding 
that  would  be  exerted  for  the  betterment  of  all  of  her 
countrymen. 

Mrs.  Foote  held  the  startling  royal  declaration  with  a 
deep  reverence  that  somewhat  concealed  her  overwhelm- 
ing grateful  emotion  which  had  in  it  no  hint  of  self- 
gratulation,  but  sprang  from  a  joy  that  a  sister  had  seen 
the  light  and  that  other  sisters  might  dry  their  tears. 

Her  mission  accomplished,  the  Minister's  wife  prepared 
to  retire,  but  as  she  was  about  to  express  thanks  and 
appreciation  and  to  bid  Her  Majesty  farewell,  the  latter 
impulsively  reaching  out  said: 

"I  am  glad  that  you  came  to  Korea.  Do  not  go  away. 
I  can  not  speak  your  language  but  my  heart  understands 
you.    Truly  you  are  my  sister." 

Thus  by  a  sympathetic  human  exigency  were  those 
two  souls  welded  into  a  lasting  confidence.  Moved  by  such 
an  intimate  expression  of  love,  and,  grateful  for  the  queen's 
splendid  magnanimity,  the  Westerner  found  it  hard  to  say 
the  final,  "Good-bye."  When  she  did  attempt  it  the  royal 
one  tearfully  cried  out,  "Oh,  will  you  not  come  back  to 
Korea,  my  good  friend  ?" 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

With  an  aching  heart  the  visitor  again  murmured  the 
words  of  parting.  She  was  then  borne  away,  but,  as  the 
palace  gate  closed,  she  felt  that  because  of  the  earnest 
spirit  left  behind  it,  other  gates  of  greater  freedom  would 
open. 

The  wind  howled  as  the  feet  of  the  royal  guard 
crunched  over  the  bleak  snow-encrusted  road  till  the  sor- 
rowing American  reached  the  haven  of  her  inviting  home 
where  her  husband,  ever-understanding,  took  her  in  his 
arms.    He  knew  that  mercy  had  conquered  intolerance. 

With  the  final  message  of  heartfelt  regret  to  the  lady 
of  the  American  Legation,  the  Queen  sent  her  many  mag- 
nificent gifts.  Among  them  was  a  series  of  white  satin 
screens,  each  with  ten  panels  whose  elaborate  embroidery 
progressively  depicted  the  history  of  Korea.  They  had 
ornamented  the  palace  and  were  of  valuable  national  con- 
sequence aside  from  the  interest  they  afforded  as  the 
highest  examples  of  their  type  of  Korean  art.  To  attest 
her  love  to  the  fullest,  she  made  the  greatest  possible  sur- 
render, by  bestowing  upon  her  "good  friend"  her  own 
most  cherished  worldly  possession — the  favorite  palanquin 
which  had  often  been  sent  to  convey  the  Minister's  lady 
to  and  from  the  palace.  At  the  time  of  a  revolution  a  few 
years  before,  the  crafty  queen  had  frustrated  the  enemy's 
attempt  to  assassinate  her  by  escaping  in  the  clothes  of  a 
peasant  girl  who  had  loyally  assumed  the  royal  garb, 
thereby  yielding  up  her  life.  When  the  queen's  party 
recovered  its  supremacy  this  palanquin  was  made  and 
sent  to  bear  Her  Majesty  back  in  royal  triumph. 

It  was  not  easy  for  the  United  States  Minister  and  his 
wife  to  leave  "Chung-Dong."  Their  trying  experiences, 
their  marvelous  recompense,  their  suffering  and  their 
dependence  upon  each  other,  their  pioneering  and  home- 
building  in  the  ancient  capital,  the  love  of  the  Korean 
humble  class  and  the  high  regard  from  all  the  people  there 

[  4^  ] 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

represented,  had  contributed  in  making  the  Far  East  sacred 
to  them.  If  they  had  freely  given  the  best  of  themselves 
in  Korea,  they  had  a  lasting  joy  in  the  knowledge  that 
warm  hearts  from  palace  to  hovel  beat  for  them  there. 
The  weight  of  their  trials  had  been  balanced  by  fruitful 
compensation.  No  doubt,  beyond  all  else,  Mrs.  Foote's 
heart  reached  out  to  the  dear  Queen  who  had  pathetically 
besought  her  not  to  leave  her.  It  was  a  call  she  could  not 
forget.  It  was  a  life  interwoven  with  her  own  and  in 
spirit  they  would  never  be  separated. 

When  the  legation  gate  closed  for  the  last  time  upon 
the  couple  all  the  servants  followed  them  for  fivt  miles 
moaning  and  crying  at  the  loss  of  their  beloved  mistress. 

From  the  distance  the  two  comrades  reverently  looked 
back  at  their  nation's  flag.  It  had  conciliated  enemies. 
It  had  averted  terrible  wars.  It  had  sheltered  the  oppressed 
under  its  folds  and  it  had  given  courage,  strength  and 
protection  to  its  entrusted  servant  and  his  wife  in  time  of 
direst  peril.  As  it  swept  out  over  the  snow-covered  roofs 
and  walls  like  a  rainbow  of  promise  in  a  sombre  sky,  the 
minister  and  his  wife  arose  and  solemnly  saluted  it.  It 
seemed  to  take  on  a  personality  as  being  of  their  household 
and  pathetically  to  beckon  them  back,  then  gravely  to 
waft  them  a  regretful  "good-bye."  And  something  filled 
their  throats  and  choked  their  speech  for  something  of 
their  hearts  was  left  with  that  weather-beaten,  precious 
symbol  of  their  country.  Tearfully  they  watched  it  till  it 
became  a  speck  over  the  legation  and  melted  into  the 
heavens. 


[^] 


Chapter  VII 

IMPERIAL  HONORS  AT  TOKYO.  ARRIVAL  AT  SAN  FRANCISCO.  AFTER 
SIX  MONTHS  MRS.  FOOTE  PASSES  AWAY.  HER  BENEFICENT 
INFLUENCE  ON  KOREAN  QUEEN  BEARS  FRUIT.  THE  QUEEN'S 
LAST  VALIANT  STAND  FOR  HER  COUNTRY.  GENERAL  FOOTE 
PASSES  AWAY.  THEIR  PATRIOTIC  SERVICE  THE  NATION'S  HERI- 
TAGE. 

AT  Nagasaki,  where  the  Japanese  hailed  them  as  saviors 
of  their  countrymen  in  the  late  coup-d*etat,  every 
possible  honor  was  accorded  General  and  Mrs.  Foote. 
Chief  among  the  unique  entertainments  offered  was  a 
remarkable  theatrical  performance  that  by  order  of  the 
governor  of  the  place  had  been  arranged  in  anticipation 
of  their  coming.  It  was  a  thrilling  representation  of  the 
scenes  of  the  late  revolution  at  the  Korean  capital,  in- 
cluding the  rescue  of  the  Japanese  at  the  American 
Legation.  As  the  drama  proceeded,  the  immense  audi- 
ence went  wild  with  excitement.  At  its  close  when  the 
folds  of  the  American  flag  fluttered  out  over  the  heads  of 
the  United  States  Minister  and  his  lady,  and  then  majes- 
tically waved  back  and  forth  over  the  throng  there  was 
stupendous  enthusiasm.  All  sprang  to  their  feet  and 
when  the  band  struck  up  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner," 
the  old  ram-shackle  building,  chosen  for  its  great  seating 
capacity  and  traditions,  reverberated  with  the  music  and 
shouting  and  many  rushed  to  carry  General  Foote  out  in 
triumph  as  he  bowed  his  thanks  and,  with  Mrs.  Foote 
and  Japanese  friends,  hurried  to  his  carriage. 

The  United  States  Minister  was  accorded  every  courte- 
ous attention  when  he  reached  Tokyo.    At  the  especial 


diplomat's    helpmate 


audience  conjointly  given  to  the  distinguished  American 
and  his  lady,  the  Emperor  made  an  address  in  which  he 
expressed  his  personal  thanks  and  the  thanks  of  the  nation 
for  the  rescue  of  his  countrymen  in  their  extremity.  To 
this  General  Foote  appreciatively  responded  in  words 
which  evoked  still  greater  enthusiasm  from  this  people  to 
whom  he  had  already  become  a  heroic  figure.  Then,  act- 
ing upon  the  royal  indication,  Mrs.  Foote  stepped  forward 
with  her  majestic  air  and  gracefully  made  the  three  defer- 
ential bows  as  she  advanced  to  the  presence  of  the  Emperor 
and  Empress.  Her  Majesty  at  once  spoke  to  the  United 
States  Minister's  lady  expressing  admiration  for  the  cour- 
age and  heroism  she  had  shown  in  perilously  remaining 
under  her  own  flag  and  in  assisting  in  the  rescue  of  the 
oppressed.  She  warmly  thanked  her  both  personally  and 
in  the  name  of  all  of  the  women  of  the  Empire  for  the  great 
compassion  that  had  been  shown  to  her  suffering  people. 
The  recipient  of  the  distinction  was  much  touched  and 
replied  with  characteristic  modesty  and  dignity.  This 
tribute  to  the  fair  American  from  so  high  a  source  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  honors  conferred  upon  a 
woman  in  modern  times. 

The  Empress  in  private  audience  at  the  palace  further 
emphasized  her  regard  by  presenting  the  United  States 
Minister's  wife  with  an  exquisitely  beautiful  tea-set  of 
finest  porcelain  cups  and  silver  pots  and  saucers  and  a 
silver  salver. 

There  were  those  who  did  not  hestitate  to  attack  in 
words  the  Queen  of  Korea,  but  these  found  quick  rebuke 
from  Mrs.  Foote  who  silenced  such  criticism  with,  "Pardon 
me,  friends,  but  I  can  not  allow  any  disparging  remarks 
against  the  Queen  of  whose  complex  but  nobly  aspiring 
nature  you  have  not  a  fair  understanding.  Out  of  my 
own  experience  with  her  has  grown  a  deep  attachment  for 
her  and  a  confidence  in  her  desire  to  uplift  Korea." 


n    Q. 


H  n 


A      DIPLOMAT     S      HELPMATE 

The  Stay  of  the  American  Minister  and  his  wife  in 
Tokyo  was  not  without  its  amusing  features,  one  of  which 
the  General  often  chuckled  over.  As  the  guests  of  some 
of  the  nobility,  he  and  Mrs.  Foote  were  taken  to  the 
temples  where  in  the  outer  courts  all  ceremoniously  re- 
moved their  shoes.  Passing  in,  the  lady  saw  her  husband 
glancing  at  her  feet  with  the  tell-tale  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"Now,  what  is  it?"    she  whispered. 

"Just  a  wee  hole  in  your  stocking.  Oh,  ever  immaculate 
one!"  he  replied. 

"Oh,  Lucius,"  she  exclaimed  under  her  breath. 

To  her,  always  so  perfectly  groomed,  it  was  no  comedy ; 
it  was  tragedy.  Then  recovering  and  holding  her  head 
once  more  erect,  she  said  to  him,  "Anyone  with  a  particle 
of  comprehension  will  know  that  it  is  but  an  accidental 
break  of  the  thread  in  a  seam." 

"Most  assuredly,"  was  the  comforting  rejoinder. 

It  was  presumed  that  there  the  episode  closed,  but 
the  next  day  she  said: 

"Lucius,  do  you  think  that  the  Prince  saw?" 

"Saw  what?"  he  queried  as  he  looked  up  from  his 
papers. 

"The  hole  in  my  stocking." 

He  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed  heartily  as  he 
replied,  "Certainly  not,  my  dear  Rose!" 

"Now,  Lucius,  are  you  speaking  truthfully,  or  is  that 
a  diplomatic  evasion  ?"  she  demanded. 

The  United  States  Minister  answered  gallantly  and 
said: 

"He  did  not  see.    The  Prince  is  a  gentleman." 

"Thus,"  the  General  would  conclude  when  rehearsing 
the  tale,  "was  that  gracious  poise,  which  neither  riot  nor 
revolution  could  disturb  quite  put  to  rout  by  a  hole  in  a 
stocking-heel !" 


A      DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

As  soon  as  the  Minister  and  his  wife  boarded  the  home- 
ward steamer  at  Yokohama,  they  were  called  to  the  side 
of  the  ship.  Below,  in  a  sampan  that  rocked  perilously  in 
the  churning  sea,  they  beheld  the  General's  almost  indis- 
pensable Japanese  servant  and  his  little  wife,  Mrs.  Footers 
equally  invaluable  maid,  each  with  baskets  of  luggage  for 
a  voyage.  They  held  up  imploring  hands  in  a  final  appeal. 
The  American  couple,  who  had  resisted  the  persistent 
importunities  of  the  faithful  pair  to  accompany  them  and 
devotedly  serve  them  forever  and  who  had  bidden  them 
repeated  farewells,  again  denied  their  petition,  refusing  to 
uproot  them  from  all  their  native  ties.  Thereupon  the 
little  couple  decided  further  effort  was  useless  and  tossed 
up  boxes  of  beautiful  "Kumsha"  to  the  steamer's  deck. 
The  Americans  again  felt  a  pull  at  their  heart-strings  as 
they  watched  those  loyal  partakers  of  their  Korean  for- 
tunes row  to  the  oriental  shore,  plaintively  calling  back 
across  the  water,  "Sayonara!'*  "Sayonara!"  ("Farewell! 
Farewell!") 

Soon  after  their  arrival  in  San  Francisco,  physicians 
pronounced  Mrs.  Footers  health  fatally  affected  by  the 
trials  of  the  terrible  revolution  added  to  the  unsanitary 
conditions  of  the  old  capital.  Six  months  later  she  happily 
made  the  transition  to  the  Beyond,  not  having  forgotten 
to  send  her  love  and  a  message  to  the  cherished  Queen. 

Over  her  casket  was  draped  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  In  a 
simple  service.  Dr.  Horatio  Stebbins  of  the  Unitarian 
church  paid  tribute  to  the  "noble  woman  whose  spirit- 
uality had  won  the  confidence  of  the  conservative  Korean 
Queen  and  her  people,  and  who,  refusing  proffered  pro- 
tection, stood  steadfastly  under  her  flag  at  risk  of  her  life 
and  took  the  hounded  and  oppressed  under  the  shadow  of 
her  wings." 

Several  years  earlier  Mrs.  Foote  was  in  Chile  with  her 
husband  where  he  represented  our  Government.     Her 

146] 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

ministry  to  the  Chilean  poor  had  never  been  forgotten. 
Upon  learning  of  her  death,  a  large  number  whom  she  had 
there  befriended  came  together  in  grateful  and  loving 
remembrance,  and,  contributing  their  small  coins,  went 
in  a  body  to  the  cathedral  and  had  a  mass  said  for  the 
repose  of  her  soul — although  she  was  not  of  their  religious 
faith. 

The  Korean  Queen,  who  had  never  given  up  the  hope 
that  her  good  American  friend  would  return,  was  deeply 
grieved  when  informed  of  her  death,  and,  together  with 
the  King,  sent  General  Foote  tender  expressions  of  regret 
and  sympathy. 

She  kept  her  faith  and  saved  the  women  and  children 
of  the  condemned  Liberals. 

Mrs.  Footers  benign  influence  over  the  Queen  bore  its 
fruit,  for  the  sovereign  who  loved  her  country  became 
more  and  more  amenable  to  progressive  ideas,  her  ascend- 
ing thought  expressing  itself  in  new  devotion  to  her  people 
and  a  more  intelligent  patriotism  that  looked  far  beyond 
herself  and  her  day,  and  courageously  risked  her  very 
life  in  an  effort  to  save  Korea  from  the  dreaded  dominion 
of  Japan. 

Among  the  plans  she  had  at  heart  for  the  advancement 
of  her  countrymen  at  the  time  of  her  tragic  death,  was  the 
establishment  of  a  permanent  school  for  the  sons  of  nobles, 
toward  which  she  had  subscribed  130,000  and  to  which 
she  was  additionally  to  make  an  annual  allowance  of 
|2o,ooo  to  $30,000.  By  her  request  the  teachers  of  this 
school  were  to  be  from  American  colleges,  for  she  placed 
unquestioned  confidence  in  the  countrymen  of  her  "good 
friend."  She  manifested  constantly  an  increased  gener- 
osity and  lovableness  that  not  only  affected  the  Koreans, 
but  smoothed  the  path  of  the  noble  Western  women  who 
had  come  faithfully  to  work  among  them.  These  she  freely 
aided  and  stimulated  by  a  warm,personal  sympathy  and 


A     DIPLOMAT     S     HELPMATE 

by  every  possible  encouragement,  not  the  least  of  which 
was  expressed  through  substantial,  munificent  gifts. 

The  enemies  of  this  wonderful  Korean  Queen  well  knew 
her  remarkable  ability  and  statesmanship,  and  saw  in  her 
the  greatest  menace  and  danger  to  their  designs.  Espe- 
cially was  this  emphasized  when,  after  her  own  self-recon- 
struction, she,  with  an  enthusiasm  and  zeal  transmuted  by 
her  occidental  friend,  worked  for  her  people  on  a  higher 
plane,  and  in  her  enlightened  efforts  for  them,  secured  new 
adherents  winning  their  dependable  loyalty. 

When  in  1895  Japan  established  a  protectorate  over 
Korea,  the  attempt  at  hasty  and  radical  changes  there  was 
resisted  by  the  Court  Party  at  Seoul  headed  by  the  in- 
vincible Queen.  Aided  by  the  entire  Min  family,  with  a 
patriotic  spirit  and  at  an  awful  risk,  she  planned  a  daring 
coup  d'etat  with  the  determination  to  disband  the  soldiers 
who  had  been  trained  by  Japanese  officers,  and  to  replace 
the  pro-Japanese  partisans  of  reform  in  the  cabinet  with 
her  pro-Korean  friends.  It  was  her  last  valiant  fight. 
The  result  was  a  counter-plot  to  seize  the  King  and  the 
dangerous  Queen  with  the  aim  of  obtaining  control  of  the 
government  in  the  interest  of  the  pro-Nipponese  and 
reform  party.  In  carrying  out  this  plot  the  powerful  and 
discerning  head  of  Korea  was  made  way  with.  It  was  said 
that  she  might  have  escaped,  but  would  not  desert  the 
aged  Dowager  Queen,  and  relied  somewhat  upon  the 
promise  that  her  life  would  be  safeguarded.  The  friend 
in  whose  loyalty  she  placed  greatest  faith  assisted  in  her 
betrayal.  She  was  horribly  and  brutally  murdered.  Her 
body  was  hacked  to  pieces  in  the  palace  grounds  and  then 
burned — only  a  little  finger  bone  being  recovered  for  hon- 
orable burial  and  worship. 

It  took  the  Astrologers  two  years  to  decide  upon  the 
propitious  place  for  her  burial.  All  her  country  was 
interested.    Finally  a  beautiful  tract  of  1000  acres  lying 


A      DIPLOMAT     S      HELPMATE 

a  few  miles  outside  the  walls  of  Seoul  was  chosen.  It  in- 
cluded mountain,  hill,  level  rice-field,  village  and  stream. 
All  habitations  were  removed,  tens  of  thousands  of  young 
trees  were  set  out  and  fortunes  were  spent  in  making  it 
marvelously  beautiful.  The  grave  is  on  the  highest  hill- 
top and  is  encircled  by  a  carved  balustrade  of  stone  and 
here  and  there  are  significant  images.  Before  the  grave 
is  a  splendid  block  of  polished  marble  serving  as  a  table 
for  sacrificial  offering,  and  in  front  of  it  is  an  elaborately 
carved  stone  lantern. 

This  great  Queen  of  far  Cathay  was  given  the  post- 
humous title  of  "Empress."  Two  years  had  elapsed  since 
her  death.  She  had  not  been  forgotten  by  her  people. 
Indeed,  as  they  helplessly  realized  that  Korea's  individ- 
uality was  being  stamped  out,  even  those  who  had  con- 
tinued hostile  to  her,  came  to  honor  the  memory  of  the 
strong  character  that  fought  so  valiantly  to  avert  such  a 
catastrophe.  And  now  her  state  funeral  gave  them  the 
opportunity  to  express  their  appreciation.  It  was  the 
pathetic  tribute  of  a  country  that  was  being  fatally  merged 
into  the  family  of  its  ambitious  neighbor,  Japan.  The 
entire  city  turned  out  to  do  her  honor.  For  the  Koreans 
the  day  was  sad  indeed.  To  them  it  was  the  burial  of 
their  beloved  nation,  of  which  the  queen  had  been  the  life 
and  inspiration. 

Visitors  to  the  fascinating  old  capital  make  a  pil- 
grimage to  this  noted  tomb  of  the  oriental  queen  who  had 
such  a  heroic  and  dramatic  life  and  such  a  tragic  ending. 

Mrs.  Foote's  affectionate  request  was,  that  in  the  event 
of  her  passing,  the  cherished  palanquin  should  go  to  the 
author  of  this  little  story. 

It  was  said  that  nowhere  in  the  Orient  was  there  so 
interesting  and  so  beautiful  a  conveyance.  It  reached  its 
destination  together  with  rare  Satsuma  ware,  one  of  the 
screens,  and  other  elegant  gifts  from  the  Korean  palace. 


A    diplomat's    helpmate 

The  palanquin  was  lost  in  the  great  fire,  but  General  Foote 
saved  the  tea  set  when  the  outer  walls  of  the  building  were 
hot.  Today  that  Imperial  gift  has  a  permanent  place  in 
the  author's  home — a  home  to  which  the  General  and  his 
wife  loved  to  come. 

The  palanquin  was  sentient  with  the  lives  of  an  oriental 
and  an  occidental  woman,  each  of  whom  had  left  the 
hampering  walls  of  sense  and  passed  through  the  royal 
gate  of  the  Beyond.  That  the  animating  Christ  spirit 
made  a  common  bond  between  the  two  here,  gives  assur- 
ance of  glad  fruition  for  them  in  their  escape  to  the  larger 
liberty. 

Did  Rose  Foote  long  for  more  years,  it  was  but  that 
she  might  further  aid  her  fellowmen. 

If  this  story  of  her  patriotism  inspires  those  of  us  so 
fortunate  as  to  be  at  our  country's  call  today,  then  this 
American  diplomat's  helpmate  will  have  served  her  flag 
again. 


[50] 


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